Red Hood: Red Roomate
by Anonzerozeroone
Summary: Andrea Albertsons received an unknown letter from Gotham Real Estate with a list of five places she could choose, but she would have to have a roommate. She decided to choose one of the five out of desperation that her other five real estates turned her down. The name of her new roommate was Jason Todd. Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters. WPC:4000
1. Chapter 1

"Hello!" I enthusiastically accepted the call from the real estate.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Albertsons. We are very sorry that we could not find any available apartment for you in Gotham," the office lady declared.

"I see. Thank you," I said, trying not to reveal my disappointment, and sluggishly ended the call.

All the five real estates, I contacted, said the same thing.

"Dammit!" I cursed under my breath.

I was an ordinary girl at the age of twenty-two living with her mother. It might sound pathetic to dream of finding more opportunities in Gotham after fresh out of financial collage, but I nailed one of my many job interviews and got accepted at Harper's Financial Help. The only thing I could not find was, a goddamn place to live near my working place because my house was a fourty minutes drive to work despise traffic. And, hell knew how bad traffic jam in Gotham was.

"Darling!" Mom called me from downstairs. "Could you come down for a second?"

"Sure, Mom. I'll be right there in a second," I yelled back, and slid the chair from the desk. I rolled onto my bed and stared at the ceiling for precisely seven minutes, before making any attempt of walking down the stairs.

"There's a mail for you from Gotham Real Estate on the table."

"Thanks... Gotham Real Estate? I've never heard of it before," I wondered, pacing toward the letter.

It read:

 _To Ms. Andrea M. Albertsons,_

 _We are Gotham Real Estate. You did not contact us, but we heard that you were looking for a place in Gotham._

 _Our real estate is slightly different from the other. We offer places that already have owner that willing to have a roommate. We attached a list of five places in this envelope. Please consider them and feel free to contact the owners._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Gotham Real Estate_

Holy crap, people said Gotham was weird, but I did not believe that it would be this weird. An unknown real estate that knew about you without you realizing that they existed. How did they even know I needed a place?

Sketchy... perhaps, very sketchy, but what more could I lose after all the disappointments.

I opened further into the envelope. The information, they provided, included the location, the size of the room, the roommate and their personal information, and the deal. It seemed basic enough. Although, what surprised me the most was how all the locations were five to twenty minutes walk to my work!


	2. Chapter 2

First, I narrowed it down to three because the other looked like drunkards and drug dealers. I did not want that and did not need it.

Then, I got into the itty-bitty details of the threes' profile. Two of the profiles were women who I would like to stay with if their rent fee were not so high for a three-by-four meters room. Truthfully, even the three-by-four rooms could be habitable because it did not include bathroom, kitchen, or living room.

But, I was more interested in the guy's room, five-by-four meters room with a low rent rate that almost sounded too good to be true. The profile also said that he worked at night which was even better because that meant I did not have to see during the day, and I would be sleeping during the night. Actually, I would not mind seeing him since he was such a hottie, but who knew, I had seen too many people that looked like that as a jerk as well.

Whatever, I checked the time which was ten to six. Hopefully, he had not gone to work. I looked for his number on the profile and dialed it.

"Hello? Who's this," he answered the call. I got to say he got nice voice, but I found it contrasting the image, they gave me. The image that screamed 'pretty boy' more than the 'tough' voice I was listening to.

"Hi! My name is Andrea. Are you Jason... Todd?"

"Mm-hmm. What is it? Clock's ticking, I don't have much time."

"Oh! Umm, I would like to know if you still want a roommate," I rushed. I hated rushing. It usually made me take longer time to complete my sentences.

"Yeah! I still want one. Do you want to see the room first?" he kept rushing through.

"Err, yeah. Yes, I do... Umm, Are you available tomorrow?"

"I'll be working at 6PM. So how does about 4:30 sound?"

"Umm, sure, that works for me."

"See you at 4:30 tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye," he ended the call.

Why was he in such a rush? I guessed, he had to clock in, but man, what a wreak. I took my check book from the drawer and put it in my purse, before telling Mom that I kind of got a place?

I believed, I did... And, that conversation with the owner was a disaster. I really had to work on my rushing skills. Planning everything before hand, keeping calm, and living peacefully would not do in such a busy place like Gotham, would it?

Well, whatever. I could deal with that later.

"Mom!" I caught her attention.

"Yes, Darling?"

"You won't believed that I just got a place! Well, kind of anyway!"

"Congratulation! How does it look?"

"Ten minutes walk to work," I smiled in reply.

"That's marvelous, Andy!"

"Indeed. I'll be checking the place tomorrow at four-thirty. Do you want to come with me?"

"Tomorrow? That's soon."

I nodded confirm to her.

"I'm sorry, Darling, but I have plans with Diana. We'll be going out at four."

"Hmm. That's too bad, then. I'll take pictures for you."

"Okay," she said smiling.

"That's it. I just wanted to tell you that. Good night, Mom," I said, kissing her cheek.

"Good night."


	3. Chapter 3

It was about one in the afternoon when I finished my lunch.

"I'll be in my room, Mom!" I shouted, making sure she heard me as I paced up the stairs.

"Okay!" Mom shouted in reply. "Oh wait!" she stopped me. "Are you going to be back for dinner?" she questioned when she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Probably not. I'll find something in Gotham."

"Hey, don't forget. Get a picture of the Bat for me if you see him."

"Okay, Mom. I'm sure he knows your a fan, but I don't think he'll pose for me though."

"Just do it will you."

"Fine. I'll be upstairs anyway. Tell me when Diana got here."

I laid on my bed and placed my IPad in front of me. I professionally turn it on and loaded Netflix, trying to be as epic as some anime.

I played the first episode of Sherlock Season 2 again. I was fascinated by how he deduct each scenario in such an incredible ways. To be honest, I dreamed once to become a private detective, but you know, life did not go as planned. I found out that being one might not allow me to be stable financially.

I started to make my way to finance, and I was surprisingly great at finding loop holes in the money system. I initially took it seriously on my second year with the support of my professor who saw this as a talent. I accepted her advices, and everything turned out great: nice job, nice place to live, and a great future.

Well... Except my love life. I had a boyfriend who I broke up with after a month of relationship. I dated a girl once, trying to find my sexual identity, but we become only good friends afterward.

I got myself another boyfriend on my second year, and he broke up with me because he said I was workaholic and would not have sex with him. I told him that it was not because I did not want to, but I had an assignment due the next day. Maybe, he was right to a degree, but that did not mean he could be an ass about it. I tried to keep the relationship going and talked to him, but I was soon tired of all the negativity I did not sign-up for. It ended well for me.

Right now, I was single for about two years, and my life was a lot less complicated. I also got to acquire more self-time and finish as many episodes of anything I wanted. But, as of now, I had to make my way to the shower before I become late. I tied my straight, hip-length, ash-brown, hair up as I let the nice, warm water sprinkled through me.

I got out of the water, dried myself, and proudly looked into the mirror. Five-foot-seven, thirty-seven, twenty-seven, thirty-eight, DoubleD-cup, and clean fair skin, it was all worth sweating for to be healthy. Who knew, getting a slight hourglass body that resembled Marilyn Monroe would have been this hard. I might never manage to get her waist, but I got abs.

I put on my white tank top, long light blue jeans, and my favorite black hoodies with a red Bat sign screened on my chest. Yup, Red Hood team for life. I knew he was a criminal, but were they not all criminal? Breaking in, violence, hacking into someone else's privacy, and all other things. This guy at most would be sentenced to death from taking down more than half of Gotham's and other criminals for good. He earned my respect.

I quickly put on some light make up and red-burgundy lipstick. Then, my finishing touch, I let my hair down and took a small hair-dye chalk compact from the drawer. I grabbed a streak of my hair somewhere in the middle of my left and dyed it red.

I dashed down the stairs right at three-thirty and bid my mother goodbye.

"What is with your clothes, today?" Mom commented.

"Don't say a word, Mom. You have your own hero, and I have my anti-hero. And, I'm also not wearing anything improper, if there's even such a thing," I told her.

She stopped commenting, and said "Diana is not here yet, but I think you better go. It's an hour drive isn't it?"

"Yup. See you, Mom," I kissed her goodbye and left with the old Honda Accord.


	4. Chapter 4

I did not forgot anything did I? Wait! My purse!

God dammit! I quickly got off the car, and ran back to my room.

Perfect! I got my phone in my jeans pocket and the black purse that fit my check book perfectly.

Good safe, Andy!

I returned to the car, cranked the radio up, and drove into Gotham. It took a good while to get there, but parking under the new, humongous apartment was not a slightest problem. I did not expected that to be honest. I was expecting more of a thin, tall tower that would camouflage itself within all the taller buildings since it was made atop of Gotham's old ruins from all the villains. Anyway, I looked around and accidentally saw a twin private garages under one room, the room I was going to stay in, Room No.3B.

Oh, my. Private garages? How could he even afford this with a night job? Was the night job even a job?

I tried not to be over enthusiastic with my very own curiosity, but I could not help to wonder how sketchy it was getting, especially considering how close it was to Crime Alley, an alley which lived up to its name. Additionally, this place was white clean and the lobby appeared spectacular, opposing all of rumors I had heard. Just mind blowing to believe such a place could be near the saltiest part of the city.

Well, I could not wait to see my room and if I had the chance, the one who obviously washed the salt off the street.

I pressed on the buzz button to his room, and he answered, "Hi!"

"Hi! I'm Andrea, the person that's coming to check out the apartment," I replied.

"Right on time. Come on, in. Just press for the third floor on the elevator and knock on the door to your left. It should say 'B' by the way, not eight. The slide doors will be opening soon."

"Thanks."

The two slide doors that was blocking out outsiders opened as he said. I went through it and waited for the elevator inside. I pressed on number three as he said and knock on the door to my left, 'B'.

"Just a second!" shouted the familiar male voice from inside.

I waited and heard a little sharp 'thud' from something other than foot steps coming toward me.

He opened the door. The man appeared, and my first impression of him was the sleep deprivation he was going through. It was quite an interesting impression honestly since it almost made me forget, he was heavily built and stood about six-foot-two. On the second look, I found him quite attractive. His jet black hair with some white streak was still messy, probably from rush since he was just out of the shower from the droplets of water behind his elbow and smell of soap. His white shirt with rolled sleeves was not properly buttoned, or set, revealing partially the side of his abdomen that was slightly tanned skin. His dark jeans were probably the same one he used yesterday from the dried rain mud on the hem of it. Scars on his hands... Wait, Andy, how did a plain short description become an observation about the person in front of you? Seriously, old habits really would die hard. Well, at least, I stopped, not getting as detailed like the latest time.

However, I found the image of him in my hand too different. This guy looked as 'tough' as he sounded through the phone. Who was the 'pretty boy' then?

"Hi, again!" I tired smiling. It was a confused smile at the man who possibly had a year, or two, on me.

"Yeah. Hi."

"Hmm... You look quite different from what I've got," I uttered sheepishly. Was this the awkward feeling when an online date did not look the same in real life?

"Oh! That's Dick. I didn't have my photo handy when I registered, so I just threw his picture in. We're technically identical anyway. And, ya know, with his name and all. It's just like sending random people D-," he paused and took a glance at my anticipating eyes. "You know what, never mind. I was sleep-talking."

"Okay. Well, do you need some more time? I can wait out here if you want," I offered him.

"Nah, it's fine. Nice to meet you, Ms. Albertsons," he said, letting me in.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied with a more friendly smile than before and a hand shake. High flexibility, great grip, a lot of wrist work: card dealer? Knife thrower? Bodyguard?

"Please come in," he ushered.

I looked into the unit's center where we were going to be sharing. Right in front of me was the full-length windows through out with a city view. It also seemed to be the smart window type that had been advertised commonly a while ago. Then, in the middle of all the city view, there was a big screen TV and an average grey couch with two matching seats on a lighter grey carpet that complimented the dark wooden floor. Although, one of the matching seats was more isolated in its own space next to the row of bookshelves, and there was nothing much more than I described. So, I turned to the left where there were two counters, one built into the wall and the other paralleled. The one built-in was the kitchen, and the other one was a bar-dinner table with part of it designed hollow to store four chairs.

Nothing looked out of place, except the throwing knife on the wall about a centimeter above the kitchen table that was almost unnoticeable. Anyway, it was probably the thing that caused the sharp 'thud' I heard before. So, a knife thrower? But, seriously, did he see me a such a threat that he had to keep a weapon at reach?

Did it matter to know though? I did not think so.

I followed him inside and thought it would be polite to take my shoes off since the owner did not have any on. He walked parallel to the wall on our right that separated the living area to the the bathroom. It was quite spacious considering that it contained double sinks and a separate shower and bathing areas.

"There's a common laundry room at the basement. Now, let me show you, your room," he stated.

My room's door was ninety degree and a few steps toward the window from the bathroom door. He used a keycard to unlock the electronic and pulled the door open.

Man, that was probably the closest I would get to a love at first sight. "Oh, my God! It's marvelous!" I kept in cool to a couple degree.

"Just take your time and check it out. I'll be having some coffee at the kitchen. Do you want some?" he questioned politely, but not energetically, or awaken.

"No, thank you, Mr. Todd. It's a bit too late for me."

"Just drop the 'Mr. Todd' thing," he said with his hand quoting the words, "Please call me Jason."

"Okay, Jason. Mine's Andrea. Andy for short, but I rarely use it." If you were wondering why the 'y', then there was a long story to it. But, well, in short, I just happened to be the type of person to ask why not.

"Well, if you have any questions, I'll try to be as helpful as I can," he said before he left.

"Thank you."

Wow, I needed to give myself a second to think about how huge my room was. It was the size of a master bed room! It was also already furnished with a queen size bed frame, a built-in closet, and a dressing table that matched with the other two furnitures. It was just amazing to see a place like this in such a big city. I could already see myself living here!

So, I decided and stepped out of the room. He was sitting at the bar table, enjoying his coffee and scrolling down on his phone. I also noticed that the knife was gone, so maybe, I was no longer a threat to him.

I caught his attention with my presence and questioned, "I'm not really sure how is the rent fee really six-hundred dollars a month. Is there any other extra things I have to pay for?"

"It's six hundred dollars a month, and everything will be under your name. I'll even sign a three-month contact with you, if you think I'll ditch the pay and put you in debt. By the way, free WiFi, water, and electricity. Sweet, isn't it? However, I will really appreciate it, if you could make me three meals a day and put them in the fridge," he firmly confirmed.

Hmm... I really could not appreciate this deal enough. Six-hundred dollars was obviously no where near half the price of the full rent of the apartment. But, everything under my name sounded like a huge risk and super weird. It was like he wanted to be a ghost in this city. Anyway, as naive as it may look, I wanted to try trusting this stranger. What could happen?

"Sure! Three meals a day. What would you prefer?" I replied. It wouldn't be that hard right?

"Wait, I was joking," he was surprised as I took his joke seriously.

"So, you don't want the meal?"

"No. Just put some notes on which ever is yours, if you need to put any of your left over in the fridge, and as long as, you clean up after yourself, I'm totally cool with everything."

Now, that was even more sketchier. The hell with it.

"Okay. Do you accept checks?"

"Yeah," he said, finishing his coffee and waking up fully.

"Here," I handed him the written check, "when can I move in?"

"Anytime," he took the check. "Here's the keycard for the slide doors, the door, and your door. The only room it won't let you in is mine. My card had the same function."

"Thank you. Tomorrow, then. About this time of the day," I settled and glanced at the sunsetting around the corner. I was about to bid my good-byes when I saw him peering at my outfit, smirked, and looked away.

"Care to explain that little smirk of your, Jason?" I mentioned playfully, but not really at the same time. I used the same tone again with a tint of sadness only to be dramatic, "Or maybe, we're just not meant to be roommates."

For reassurance, that could never happen. The deal was too good to be turned down.

"Cool, Lady. I just like your outfit. You know, that psychotic, anti-hero doesn't have a lot of fans, right? I'm just glad- I mean, surprised to see one. That's it. Really," he said with a firm, sincere voice.

"Ha, I was just teasing you. But, yeah, thanks for the honesty. I'll be back tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," he bid with a smile, as I left with the keycard.


	5. Chapter 5

I finally was home. It was almost midnight, but the traffic surely sticked until the end. Mom must have gone to bed, and Diana must have left a while ago since there were not a lot of heat in the living room. I ran up the stairs and had a quick jump on my fluffy bed. Although, I fought myself to get off the bed, trying not to sleep before the shower. It really had been a long day, but I just had to take that quick shower and wash the chalk off my hair before I go to bed in my oversized blue and white tartan shirt-pajamas. I rarely put the pants on though, not until it was very cold outside anyway. I should not do that when I was not alone though.

* * *

The next morning, I started loading most of my packed boxes and suitcases. I left some of my clothes at home for the time I come back to visit.

"Mom, are you coming with me, today?" I asked her, before I put one of my boxes on the front seat.

"Sure! You were bragging about it all day. Also, you'll be staying there from today on, so I'll take the car back home," she replied, so I stacked the box on the back seat with the suitcases.

"To think of it. We can't share the car anymore since I'm pretty far away, and you need it to get to work," I said as I paced back into the house.

"True. You have to get your own car, now," she teased.

I sighed and said, "I'll be taking a shower. We'll get going in an hour."

I came down after about half an hour with a long dark ripped jeans and a black T-shirt instead of the tank top and light jeans because I knew they would ended up dirty from unpacking. Then, after looking around and checking for the final things, I decided to bring a sleeping bag with me just in case I did not get a mattress. And right at the hour mark, I put on the same hoodies and slung the purse on my shoulder before I called Mom in front of the way out.

"So are we having dinner together there tonight?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Any plan in mind?"

"No, not really, but we can have something at the restaurant and bar I had last night."

"That should do," she said.

She was in her usual office lady casual look: black slim fit suit, white chiffon blouse, long black trousers, and black two inches high heels that made her currently two inches shorter than me. She had Asian, almond eyes from her Thai-Chinese mother which I inherited, but with a Caucasian father, I had much less of the ivory skin than she did.

I waited as she made herself at ease in the car, and we drove down to Gotham, crossing the damn bridge where all the traffic jam were. It took us approximately an-hour-and-a-half from there to get under the apartment, and at least, half-an-hour was spent behind the traffic lights.

"How could you be so patient, Andy?" Mom questioned.

"Patient is everything, Mom, you told me that. So, thank you. I won't be able to get here without it. In both literally and metaphorically," I said, closing my car door and heading to the entrance.

"It is big like you said," she said, following me.

I tried out the keycard, and it was functioning well. When we were out of the elevator, I told her, "Another thing, Mom, I have a roommate, but don't worry. He works at night, so we might not be seeing each other at all."

"I'm not worried. Why should I be? You've always been making the right choice thus far."

"Just telling you, so you don't just freak out when you see someone inside."

I tapped the keycard and opened the door.

"Hi, Jason!" I greeted as I let myself and Mom in.

"Oh, hi!" he waved at me. He was still in his pajamas: normal black T-shirt and a red tartan pajamas pant, and an even messier hair than yesterday. This guy really could try to look decent.

"Jason, this is my mom. Mom, this is Jason Todd, my roommate," I introduced them.

"Good evening, Mrs. Albertsons. It's a pleasure to meet you," Jason greeted, showing his hand.

"Good evening. It's a pleasure to meet you, too," Mom replied and shook it.

"Would you both like a cup of hot coffee, or tea?" he inquired politely just like yesterday.

"Coffee with two sugar would be nice. Thank you," she answered.

"And you?" he questioned me.

"I'll have the same, thank you," I replied, trying not to make it too complicated.

"Okay, then. Two coffees each with two blocks of sugar," he concluded with a smile.

Mom nodded and returned him a smile, so did I.

"Let's check out the room while we wait then," I said.

"Sure," she replied.

I brought her in front my room and opened the door with the same keycard.

"Ta-dah!"

"Wow, it's huge. Now, I see what you mean. It looks good, even the bed frame looks good," she complimented, after taking a seat at the dressing chair.

"I agree. Just have to admit that I fall in love with this pretty room," I replied.

"I like the closet, too," she said as she paced to it. "Should we start bringing the boxes up?"

"I think so. We might have to shuttle them in two or three times, but right now I need some coffee to pull an all-nighter to unpack all those stuff," I replied, leaving the room.

"Perfect timing. The coffee is ready," Jason said, placing the cups on the sofa table. He sat on matching seat, he moved away from the bookshelves and toward the couch.

"Thank you," we showed our courtesy.

I followed behind Mom as she sat in the middle.

"It's a very nice place indeed. How long have you been here, Mr. Todd?" Mom fired a question I never thought of asking.

A month, or two, from the look of the new TV and the sofa.

"About two months, and please just call me Jason," he answered.

"Okay, Jason. Do you have any pet?" she quested randomly.

He had a cat, probably a tabby cat in his room. I did not notice this much fur yesterday, but it probably slept on him last night because it shed on his pajamas. However, not his shirt, so I assumed that he just put it on, acknowledging that we would be around.

"Yes, actually. It's in my room. I just don't really want to clean up the fur she shed in the living room," he answered just coincidentally like I predicted.

Then, oh, no. A cat. Mom liked cats, but she never had the gut to keep one after her first.

"May I see her?"

There she went. Why did she do that? We did not actually know this guy yet.

"Yeah, I'll go get her."

Was he serious? He did not have to do that! The coffee was already more than we should ask for as strangers.

However, something more intriguing happened. Just only when he opened the door, I could hear the cat meowing. His room was sound proof? Could it get any weirder, now?

"Here yer go," he placed the tabby cat on my Mom's lap.

"Aww, she's such a cutie. I used to have one, too, but I just can't coop when it left me," she paused.

I signed in relief.

"So what do you do?" she began again.

I sighed again. I just wanted the coffee. Well, to her question, my best guess was underground job, considering how much he wanted to be a ghost, but what idiot would say that. Bartender, or a server, at some high class bar might be the best way out. They mostly had unaccountable income with the tips and all.

"A private investigator, and part-time bartender."

Well, that was unexpected. Gotta work on that part.

"Are you on your way to work? Are we interrupting you?"

"Oh! Not at all. My shift won't start until eight today," he chuckled.

Then, there was an awkward pause. I could no longer keep the silent going, so I finished the cup of coffee and said softly, "Mom, let's bring the boxes up. We still have to get a mattress, and I kind of want dinner on time."

"Is there anything I could help," he offered.

Oh, my. As a ghost in the city, he was one hell of a nice and polite one. If I were him, I would have stayed away as far as I could from this much human interaction. Well, there was no point of turning it down.

"Sure, we could use a hand," I responded to his offer.

We headed down the elevator and got all the things in one trip. He took the two large boxes. Mom took the large rollable suitcase, and I took the two smaller boxes and a suitcase.

"Is this all you got?" he asked, placing the boxes in front of my room.

"Yup," I replied, opening the door of the room. I placed the boxes next to my bed and the suitcase against the wall. Jason brought in the other boxes and placed them side by side next to the suitcase. Mom followed behind with the suitcase and left it next to the boxes.

"Please take your time. I'll be somewhere around the house if you need anything," he offered again.

"Thank you for your help," I thanked him, wondering about the odd politeness. I meant, it was a good trait for a person to have, but this was simply odd. I did not have sufficient evidence, but I could feel it in my gut that this person was not entirely nice. It was a mix of hunches, and it was hard to pick it apart, unlike most people I had met. It was so much, it almost seemed interesting.

"You're very welcome," he simply replied, leaving the room.

I closed the door and put the unordinary thoughts I had down. "Let's start unpacking then shall we? Oh, and, what time is it, Mom?"

"A quarter after five."

"We better get some done before six, cause I'm starving, and we still need a bed."


	6. Chapter 6

Mom and I had our dinner together at the same restaurant and bar I had yesterday after we unpacked about a box and a half. We invited Jason, but he declined, using work as an excuse. Well, I could not imagine the awkwardness we would have if he was around either.

"So what do you think?" I questioned her at the table after we had our meals.

"The apartment?" she asked for clarification.

"Yeah."

"Like I said before, it looks good. No wonder why you chose it."

"Right. Continue."

"Although, your roommate is... a bit too attractive. Don't you think that he'll bring someone in most of the night?"

"That's probably true, but I don think he's that type of guy (since he didn't want a lot of people to know about his existence). Another thing, he works at night. If he'll bring anyone in, it would be when I'm at work."

"True. Most of the time your sixth sense is right. Sometimes, it spooked me about how you know all those things."

"I told you, Mom. It's not a sixth sense. You should've been familiar with it by now after Dad. But, I'll tell you again. I noticed them, and it's not always right because humans always do weird things that I can't predict."

"'Like when you got a cap and a sunglasses, but used your hand to give you shade.' I know about that. This is the trillionth time you lecture me about this specific topic," she grumbled, as she swallowed the first bite of strawberry cake. "Oh, my god! It's sooo good. How do they make a cake taste this good?!"

"Really? Let me try!"

"Go on, try them!"

I took a bite and said, "Oh, my god! It is. I think it's the frosting, but the cake is also good. I can't wait for my chocolate fudge cake."

The waitress finally brought me the cake and it was as delicious as I imagined. The soft tender taste of dark chocolate.

To think of it, that was always the way our argument ended.

* * *

After the meal, we went to IKEA and bought a mattress. They said it would be delivered the next day, so the sleeping bag did come in handy, if I were to sleep that night at all. Then, Mom dropped me off at the apartment where I started nagging her to stay a little longer.

"So you're going home now? It's only eight thirty, though," I puzzled as the car stopped near the entrance.

"Yeah. I have to. I got early morning meeting."

"Oh. Okay. Maybe I'll be home this weekend, or the week after that. I don't know. I'll plan it out later."

"Sure. Just call me when ever you're coming over."

"See you soon," I reached over from the passenger seat for a hug. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," she hugged back, before I got out of the car.

"Don't forget to call me when you're home," I said, as she started the car again.

Mom gave me a thumb up, indicting that she got the message as she drove away.

I dismissed myself into my new room and started unpacking things. It felt like ages to get all the things out and put it somewhere in the room. I had to give myself a break in the shower getting three-quarter of it done. After the shower, it was a little unnatural for me to come out the bathroom with a dark tartan pajamas with both the shirt and pants on. I should start making myself wearing pants a habit, before I accidentally walk around with only the shirt on.

Not so long later, Mom called me to say that she was home. We chattered a little until I got through all the suitcases and boxes. I was really glad I did, but now, I wondered where I should I take the empty cardboard boxes.

I unfolded the boxes and brought it out of my room. Unexpectedly, Jason was still home. He was sitting at the same stool from the day I met him, staring at the kitchen's sink with none of the lights on.

It was weird, but I did not want to disturb him. I quietly layered the smaller boxes inside the bigger ones on the floor and was going to kick them to the side, so it stood while I put my shoes on to take them out.

However, I accidentally angled my foot the wrong way, and my toe stabbed directly on the floor.

Unfortunately, the floor was as hard as hell and the pain it created was not so subtle as it looked. My, God, when was the last time I did this to myself. I planted my face on the wall and created the most depression aura I had ever created in the years. Pain... could you kindly please go away?

"You, okay?" Jason startled me. At least, he was kind enough to ask my well being after sensing the vibe.

I want to turn to him with a deadly smile and say, 'It's nothing. I'm totally fine. Please kindly don't talk to me, as I'm trying to coop with the pain.' Although, I did not actually say anything but a little groan.

He did not say anything either and waited patiently until I lost the vibe of despair.

"Stabbed your toe?"

"Hmm," I gave him the answer, as I sighed. "You're going to work?"

"Yeah, in a couple minutes."

"A P.I.," I murmured to the wall.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, just thinking about something," I misdirected, putting on my shoes with the only light source from my bedroom's open door.

There was a short moment of quietness before he quested, "You didn't think I was going to use P.I. as a job, but you knew that I'm going to use bartender's job as a cover. Not bad."

"You knew?"

"Saw you flinched."

"So am I right?"

"I don't have to answer that question."

"I don't want to know anyway, if it's gonna get me killed. And I'm too sleepy to bother anyway," I replied, picking up the cardboards. "But, you have to answer this. Where's the recycling?"

"It's by the side of the building on the first floor, but it's late. I'll take it on my way out."

"Oh, that's very nice of you. Thank you," I said sincerely, without the weirdness I used to wonder about the Ghost. Maybe, he was just a normal nice guy... or a psychopath. One way, or the other.

He put on his shoes as I took mine off and passed the cardboard boxes to him. "I'll see you, later," he bid.

"Yeah, if I'm not dead (from knowing too much)."

Okay, that joke did not come out as I wanted, especially since what was in the parenthesis was only my thoughts- he snickered. Woah... He laughed at my joke? An extremely horrible one? Damn, this guy got terrible sense of humor. Maybe, we could be friends.

"Bye!" I said and pushed the door closed.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been the second day staying at this place, but today in particular, I woke up on the new mattress that was delivered yesterday, not feeling very brighten. A bit pissed off for some reasons, but I concealed it pretty well. I checked out the date on the calendar and spotted a red check mark on the next day. I got it. Mother Nature, it was good to know that I was not pregnant.

Well, with all the crap aside, today was also my first day at Harper's Financial Advisors. I walked there yesterday once to make sure I would not get lost when I was in hurry, so it should be an easy carefree walk on this nice cloudy day. Yes, cloudy, and I would not expect more of Gotham on this month or the next.

Then, right at eight-thirty, I was in my formal wear and ready to leave. It should only be a ten minutes walk, but I liked to take my time walking. I found it helpful to have a relax moment to reflect upon myself or make a checklist on my phone about what I needed to buy which was currently what I was doing.

It was about fifteen minutes to nine when I approached the blue, glass high rise with at least twenty floors. It was pretty in and out, but anything higher than ten floors meant long elevator wait. Luckily or as plan, I was early, so it was not much wait. I got to my floor at a recorded time, just to see the office almost empty. I guessed, I was too early, but soon, someone was ready to navigate me around.

By the end of the day, I was done with work and had some appointments booked with my first clients. They were not in desperate position and fell upon the typical-scenario category that universities already prepped us for. Although, the internships I had done were the one that made me ready for the job. I hoped it would be this easy at work forever because it would give me huge advantage to build up my reputation and work toward my certificate. But, that would not give me the value of work experience.

But, who actually cared about it? For one, I did not. I just work to make money, so I could have an early retirement and live on a cruise.

Well, that would be another twenty-five years at work, Andy, so I might as well leave this place when I could and get into a more comfortable clothes before errand.

I went home, taking the longer route to ignore the opening pub, and picked out a white tank top and jeans. I looked at the hamper where my favorite hoodies was and pulled out a classic black biker jacket from the closet. It had only been a couple day, and laundry was stacking up because of the cold weather. I sighed at all the new responsibilities after moving out and left the apartment with the one good thing, a warm, comfortable knee-high boots.

On the errand at a decent-pricing grocery store that was a little too uncomfortably close to the alley of crime, I casually bought some ingredients to make meatball spaghetti, some stir-fries with rice, and enough veggies to make any salad. Add bread to the list, and it was enough to sustain a week. But then, I saw apples and I bought a bag full. It happened again when I saw cereals, and I was tempted to buy a box with a gallon of milk. Not to mention, the strawberry jam that I could not resist. Well, it was not like I would resist when it come to strawberry. Then most importantly, I needed Aspirin. Although by the time I caught myself buying too much stuff, the sun was down and the cart was full.

Well, damn, how was I going to take all this home? And not to mention the safety I was in to walk home. Hfft, I should not have denied the money my parents were going to contribute to a new car.

There must be an alternative solution to this that would keep my hands from being too full. I looked left and right, and there is was, the perfect solution.

I walked to the checkout with a black, tall shopping trolley. One problem solved, but I still had to walk in the dark. Hopefully, I would not cross path with any murderer, or worse muggers.

And... the coincidence. I was only two minutes outside from a six-minutes walk, and there was already a gun aiming at my back.

"Turn around," the person commanded.

I did as he told and raised two of my hand up. The person was all covered up from head to toes, but he was left handed which was to my advantage.

I made myself looked small and defenseless to let his guard down and asked, "What do you want?"

"Money, phone, whatever you have on the ground."

I lowered my right hand like I would to get my phone, but I pulled his left wrist toward me instead. I disarmed him and moved away with his gun in my hand.

"Don't shot!" he yelled, as he took off his mask and went down on his knees.

He was about ten years older than me. It really ticked me off to see that because I always believed that everyone had enough potential in them for something than to commit petty crime to get drugs.

"Fine, but don't go anywhere. I'm calling the police." I put the gun on my left hand, still pointing toward his leg. I saw him trying to escape, so I threatened, "By no means am I left handed, but I'll assure you I won't miss." It took a couple seconds after the call for someone to pick up, and when someone did, I made the worst decision. I took an eye off the guy.

My, God, if this was not the worst day of my life as well! And I had not got to all the hormones shit that did not help but add irritations to everything.

He was taking the chance while I was on the phone to run for his life, but apparently, it was not fast enough. I gave him a spin hook kick on his temple while he was getting up. He should go down cold. I did not hear anymore movements, so I completely ignored him until the call ended.

"Now, we're just gonna wait for the police here quietly," I said to myself, well to him if he was not knocked out.

"Heh, I was about to help, but it seems like you got him good," another voice came in.

I was startled, but that was compared to nothing when I saw who said it. "Oh... my... God...," I backed away. I must have been dreaming or something, but that was a hood and it was red. "Oh, my God! Hood?!"

"Yup. In the flesh, and still living and breathing."

Oh, my God! Did he just answered my question? What should I do? What should I do?! I meant, was he even real? I reached out and lightly touched his arm and pulled back right away. Holy shit... He was real.

"Oh, my God! You're the Red Hood! Can I get your autograph? A handshake? A hug? A kiss, maybe?" Fuck, yeah! I was prepared for this my whole life!

He looked dumbfounded for a moment, but how could I know since I could not actually see his face.

"An autograph? Err... Sure," he finally said it, and I gave him a pen and one of my business cards. I watched him sign the card, and the atmosphere he generated almost seem friendly and unthreatening. It almost consumed the fact that he was a big guy and an intimidating one. Then, he passed the things back to me, and I could not help but let out a quite squeal.

"A handshake? Done," he lended his hand out, and I gratefully shook it.

"A hug?" he repeated, more like he did not want to than did.

I looked at him with the best puppy eyes I had got and blinked several times.

"Fine," he sort of pouted.

"Thank you," I squealed and opened my arms widely. I waited for him to do the same, and he eventually did. The hug did not last long, but it made my whole day a lot better.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you. Oh, and here is the gun," I handed him the loaded gun from the mugger. "I'll be looking forward to see you again!"

"Wait, what? I'm an outlaw, you know. It means, I'm a bad person. I kill people. I could just kill you, right now. Look you even gave me the perfect cover with this weapon. Why will you even want to see me ever again?"

"Good to know that you know, you're an outlaw. Most of them are scumbags. 'Could', past tense. You're not going to kill me right now, or in the future. Since you might not kill me in the future, I might as well want to see you again. And what kind of a bad person neutralizes the most crime-ridden alley, makes sure homeless kid get a place to sleep at night, and looks at prostitutes as a human-being like they deserved to be? None, but one apparently. Well, at last, I'm just a fan," I supported my idea and paced to the troller I left about two steps away. I waved good-bye and continued my walk home. I looked over my shoulder once more just to catch one last glimpse and bit my lip.

"Eh, fuck it!" he suddenly uttered. "When will I get to kiss a hot, badass lady, if I don't take the chance now."

My heart was pounding at each step he took toward me. When he was too close for me to make any detail of his face, he took off his red helmet and brushed his lips against mine. It was only for a short moment, but I felt something was pulling my legs. He pulled away, and I quickly looked down at our shoes. Damn, I did not expect that and not the weird feelings I had right now either. The strange, yet pleasant feelings that should not have happened if I was just admiring the person.

Man, I really needed a step away, but I was not sure if that was a good idea for all the hidden identity thing.

"Did you feel it?" he puzzled at last after a moment; that was probably the reason he was still there. Again, I understood that he was barely a foot away from me so I could not see his face, but right now, he was a bit too close and without the voice modifier, I swore I heard his voice somewhere before.

"Feel what?"

"I don't know. Like something just clicked?"

"Err... Kinda, but mine was more like someone's pulling my legs. Not in a bad way though. Why?"

He hesitated and asked, "Can I... kiss kiss you?"

My face started burning even more to the question. "Kiss kiss me?"

"Like a proper kiss."

I hesitated as well, but I was also curious to what it was. "Yeah, sure."

He cupped my cheek, and I closed my eyes. He kiss kissed me. It was soft and light at first, but all of them were deeper and rougher than the one before. Yet, I felt like melting into his tenderness. He pulled me closer with his arm around my waist to deepen the kiss, as I rest my hands on his broad chest and felt myself sinking lower into something until the sound of the police sirens approached, and I broke the kiss.

His head laid low on my shoulder, and I grasped some air over his. Holy shit, whatever the feelings were before, I felt it even worse- Ah! He suddenly exhaled on my neck, and it made my whole body tickled.

He paused when he noticed my reaction and snickered... My, God! Even the snicker sounded too familiar, but I could not match it with anyone. Did I met him somewhere before?

"Good night," he cut my train of thoughts with a soft whisper and walked by me.

I turned to the direction he headed, but all I could do was replying to the darkness, "Good night."


	8. Chapter 8

It had almost been a month ever since I moved to this apartment in Gotham, and as I expected, I rarely met the owner of the house. Up until now, I saw him about five times for a brief moment before I went to work, or he went to work. Honestly, I still felt a bit awkward around him, and I totally wanted to end it, if I was going to stay for a long term. And, I planned on doing that.

Today was my day off. I took the chance to have a nice sleep in. I woke up around ten and was starving for breakfast.

I tied my hair up into a bun, and I came out of my room, yawning. I did not really pay much attention, until I heard the door closed twice. I meant, what were the chance that anybody was home?

I stared at the scarred, shirtless man across me, and he was staring at me with the same manner because of my odd habit.

"I'll go get my shirt/pant," we excused ourselves.

I was pant-less, but the shirt was long enough for a micro dress. I would have been comfortable staying in that with a friend, but he was still practically a stranger. However, I believed we got the potential to become good friends, considering the encounter on the first day I moved in.

I came out again at the same time as he did. This time we were fully clothed.

"Good morning," I greeted with a smile.

"Good morning," he replied the same with the signature bed-head, he just never seem to be able to tame it.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face. I did not have any make-up on, but really, who would need to add anything on to their perfect face in their own home. I turned off the tap when I was done, but I still heard the water running. He was probably filling up the kettle outside. I came out of the bathroom, and he was starting it. I walked pass him and grabbed a loaf of bread from the fridge at the end of the path and stopped at the toaster.

We did not really talk much to each other. Like I mentioned before, it was still kind of awkward between us. Or more like we did not try to make it better because no matter how awkward we were together, we somehow managed to understand each other through phrases.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Yes, please. Toast?"

He took the container with coffee down from the cabinet and responded, "One, thank you."

I put two slices of bread into the toaster and let them heat. "Peanut, butter, or jam?"

"Jam."

"Red or blue?"

"Blue, please."

I went back to the fridge and took strawberry and blueberry jams out on the table. He opened the other cabinet with plates and cups, while I opened the drawer with spoons and knifes. We exchanged the spoons and plates.

"Thanks," we acknowledged each other's actions.

The water boiled, and he poured them into the cups with coffee powder. The toast were done shortly after. I put one on each plate with the knifes and laid them on the table.

"Sugar?" he questioned.

"Yes?"

"I mean, do you want sugar?"

Shit. Did I just? Fuck. What did I do? I could not believe the awkwardness could get worse. "Oh, I'm sorry. Two blocks, please. Thank you," I corrected myself, opening the fridge and finding a bottle of honey bear. "Honey?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, do you want honey instead of jam?" I chuckled.

"Oh, I thought we were giving each other pet names now, but no, thank you," he said sarcastically. I guessed I was in the wrong too for laughing, but I did not feel a slight of guilt.

He gave me the cup with sugar and sat next to me. We had our breakfast in silence, waiting for the other to start speaking. However, strangely, it was not all that awkward.

"Hey, do you want to hang out sometimes? Like get to know your roommate sort of thing. You can bring your friends and I can bring mine," I invited in a friendly manner.

"Sure, but it would be just me. I don't have any available friend, right now," he said monotonously with the tiniest tint of loneliness. It was either he felt like what he said, or he tried to keep it to himself.

"Actually, I just said it to be formal. I don't have any, too. If you said you had one, I would have to find one," I confessed, pitying myself.

"You don't have to be polite. At least, you must have someone you can call," he comforted.

"Right back at you, Jason, and you know I'm not lying."

"How would I know you're not lying?"

"You're an investigator. You read body language."

"... Let's move on to the next topic."

"Sure... Maybe give me a topic?"

"Why don't you have any friend? I mean, no offense. Just curious for someone like you."

"For someone like me? Well, I think, it's a disregard to someone when you compare them with me... I'm, sometimes, very rude, ignorant, somehow unkind, and selfish. Most importantly, I don't really understand people in some ways. You?"

"I'm, in a way, arrogant, manipulative, cynical, and short-tempered. And, you know, all those good stuff. And I don't really care about people much."

"I feel like I should say, you're not at all like what you said. But sometimes, I feel like who could understand them most other than themselves. And I don't know you enough to say the first option. So... that's fair enough. I think we can be great friends," I claimed sincerely.

"Somehow, I actually agree." We were wordless for a while, until he continued, "Are you going somewhere today?"

"... No, I don't have any plans. Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to a shooting range. Wanna come?"

"What time?"

"As soon as we're ready. In an hour, or two?"

"Sure. I'll get dressed up," I accepted, taking my dishes. I washed them in the sink. Sometimes I wondered why does this place even have a the dish washer when there was only two of us.

"Okay. I'll be waiting," he replied, as he went through the same process.

I showered about ten minutes and got my light make up done in five. My hair was still in a bun, and I decided to keep it like that. It was a pretty good messy bun. I put on a grey tank top with long dark jeans and ended up not taking my jacket with me after ten seconds of self debating.

"I'm ready," I said, walking out of my room. I was prepared to wait for him because he just left the shower a minute ago. Well, now, I was going to bet he got some changing magic trick because he was already waiting for me at the couch. Then, I noticed his brown leather jacket and two black helmets and questioned, "We're taking a bike?"

"Yeah, you might want to take your jacket with you."

"I should," I replied, walking back into my room to pick the jacket that I paired it with the knee-high boots.

Wait a second... How did he know I have a jacket? Heck, maybe just a general guess. Who would not have a jacket?

I let my hair down, since the helmet won't fit the bun, and tied them half up, half down. I looked into the full body mirror and saw myself in an almost identical look to the evening of my first day at work, except all my hair was down on that day and I was not wearing any gloves like today.

I took my purse and left the room. "Is there something wrong?" I asked because his eyes were fixed on me since I showed myself.

"... Nothing. Let's go," he said, passing me a helmet. There was obviously something, but I did not bug him.

"Thanks."

* * *

We were at the shooting range. It was pretty bright and light with the orange paint compared to most with khaki-colored wall. I liked the atmosphere actually. I found that most shooting range tried too hard to look badass and classy, it looked suffocating. And another perk of this place was, the indoor targets could go to one hundred meters. But further than that, we had to go to the miserable outdoor. I could not believe Gotham was so polluted the cities next to it like this one was also affected, but at least, it looked a couple degrees better.

"Should we go with familiar things first?" Jason asked, grounding me back to the shop.

"Sure."

"Two Glock 19, three rounds" he said to the dealer who seemed to be a good acquaintance of his. "Thank you."

"Which lane?" I quested.

"Fifteen and sixteen," he answered.

"Okay."

I left and waited at the table behind our lanes with the rented eyes and electronic ears protections. He followed later and put down the guns and magazines separately on the table.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" he quizzed.

"Honestly, yes. Don't really want to admit it, though."

"Why, not?"

"Most people said it's not ladylike."

He narrowed his eyes in disbelief until he knew it was true, and he stared down at me in... disappointment? "Fuck, them! You got the right to do anything you want, and nobody oughta say a thing about it. Yeah?"

"Yeah," I immediately responded as if I was in trouble. I believed, I just got an inspirational speech? I did not know, but he got some temper about it.

"Why do you even care what they say?" he came back down to his usual, careless tone.

"I don't know. Just want to be like a normal human being, I guess."

"Seriously? Don't let it get to you. No one's normal here. It's just the appearance that counts, and no one will even bother to understand about what you know or who you are."

Okay, maybe that was the speech. I paused until the timing was good enough to comment, "That's deep."

"I know. Too bad, you gotta die once to know that... Man, you won't believe the hell I've gone through," he said in an joking manner and settled down on the chair.

Then for a second, he closed his eyes, as if he went back inside himself to pick up the broken pieces. I was not sure what to do, but my hand was already reaching out.

He caught me doing so and grabbed my hand. He shoved a magazine at me and smirked. "C'mon, now. Show me how wrong those bitches are for this not be ladylike."

Knowing he was fine, my lips twisted with confident and I walked up to the firing line. I checked the gun and pointed it down on the table once the magazine was in. I looked at the round target and planned where the bullets would end up before shooting three bullets at the middle red spot ten meters away. Then, I unloaded it separately and called the target.

"Impressive."

He startled me, but I did not react much as I should not be in a shooting range. He went to his lane and sent the target twenty meters away. He called it back at three shots as well, but his shots were further and denser.

I was not sure, if I should say 'Brilliant!' or "Show-off." Of course, I went with the second one. Well, at least, I got to know there was nothing I had to hold back.

"Want to see how far we can get with this one red circle? Loser pays for lunch and dinner, and the whole rent for the game," he challenged.

Did he just say free food? "Hell, yeah! Game on, Jason."

We sent the target to thirty meters and continued about five to ten meters further each time, until the end of the fire range for the handgun, fifty meters.

"We won't be able to use this thing for the next meter," I told him.

"Correction. We aren't recommended to use this thing for the next meter. You can back out if you don't want to push it, you know."

"The hell with it," I murmured and sent the target to fifty-five meters.

The bullets were starting to drop on its way at the seventieth meter, but somehow we still managed to hit the target.

"Seventy-five meters, done," I claimed. "Have you missed any yet?"

"No. We'll go to the end of the range, if we have to. Eighty, done."

Damn, my best was at ninety meters, and I had never challenged myself to go any further. Who knew I was really going to use the skill for food?

I slowly sent the target further away as it approached ninety-five. I could see that it was almost off the line, but luckily, it had not touch it. Well, yet. I could not imagine how bad it would drop on the hundred. Meanwhile, Jason seemed to be doing just fine.

"So, we've come to the end of the line," he said.

"Yeah," I replied not as confidently as I should sound.

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

"Scared?" he teased.

"No."

"You're shaking."

I glanced as my hand and gave him a stern look. "No!"

"Fine. On my count. One hundred meters," he sated steadily, "Three... two... one... Fire!"

Man, that was hard. I could barely see the target I was shooting. I had a feeling that I did not hit the target, if at all!

I quickly unloaded and rushed backward to see the com that displayed my target view; even though, the target was going to be brought back anyway. I was too impatient to wait.

"Holy shit! I won!" I exclaimed, forgetting about all the possibilities.

"You got the last one in the circle?" His eyebrow arched with the tone he used for the question.

"Yeah, I did! Oh, my God!"

"Damn, that's pure luck."

"How's your?" I asked excitingly.

"Right on the line, right there,' he pointed out the hole just above the red circle.

"Oh, my God! Just a millimeter lower and it would've counted. Unfortunately, it is a millimeter too high. Rent, lunch, and dinner on you!' I mocked with the most satisfying smile in my life, getting back at him when he teased me earlier.


	9. Chapter 9

We were on our way to the parking lot of the shooting range where our motorcycles were parked. Well, they were more like 'his' than 'our' since I did not have any vehicles with me when I moved in. And to lend me one of his, I was able to see what was inside one of the twin private garage under the room number.

Remember the first time I was at the apartment's parking lots, I only saw the room number because the garage doors were closed for private only. This time he opened one of the twin, and to be honest, I almost fainted when I saw all those magnificent motorcycles parked inside. They dazzled. One of them was a black BMW K1600GT, and the other was a red Ducati XDiavel S. Seriously, I had no idea what this guy do for living, and I did not care enough to do any digging. Well, I could have been dead by now if I did it.

Luckily, right now, I was still alive, and he was going to treat me lunch and dinner because I beat him in the challenge! I could not believe it happened, but it did! And I was still too high on the adrenaline to think what actually happened. Or maybe, it had already gone back down.

I put my right hand on the seat of the black bike and noticed an odd red bump on my right middle finger beside the middle knuckle. The burn was from the friction when I shoot the gun, but it looked very familiar like I've seen this type of bump on someone. Where did I see it?

I peeked at Jason's hand and found the similar bump. So that was where I had seen it, I concluded to myself. I paused a second to realize that that was his left hand, but he just used his right hand to... Oooh...

"May I see your hands?" I asked for permission.

"Is there something on my hands?" he rephrased the question, flipping his hands front and back.

At first, I thought it was the way he writes that caused the bump, but at closer inspection, there was already a writing bump on his right hand near the top knuckle.

Well, if he was trained to be able to shoot with both hands accurately which seem to be more likely in this scenario, there was no way I could beat him in this game.

"Thank you," I said, positioning myself on the bike.

"What for?" Jason replied innocently, getting on his red bike.

"Thank you for letting me win," I completed the sentence.

"Why would I let you win?"

"I don't know. That's the most and only reasonable answer I've got."

"Answer to what question?" he puzzled, without giving it a second thought. I did not answer until he paused for a second, examining his hands, and continued, "No, don't answer. I got it. But, still. A deal is a deal. Where do you want go for lunch?"

"I don't know. You should be more familiar with this place than I am."

"Not really."

"Maybe drive around and choose a place that's open."

"Sure," he replied. "Also, here," he tossed something to me, a wireless earphone with mic. "Wear it, so we can talk easier."

"Why didn't you give me this earlier before we left the apartment? We were shouting at each other to get here."

"That's why I'm giving you this, now, so we don't have to shout along the road."

I checked it out, and the strange design seemed to be custom made. "Is it turned on?"

"Yeah. Just put it on."

I put it on and tested it. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Yup, loud and clear," he replied.

I looked at him where the ear piece should be, and I could barely see anything. It must have been designed to look invisible! That was cool. "Is this one of the things you use at work?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know a private investigator would have such a cool gadget," I said ironically.

"I didn't know a financial consultant could fire a kill shot more than fifty meters away with a Glock," he commented with the same affection.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

We put on our helmets and hit the road.

"So, what do you actually know from looking at my hands? I just need to know, so we're on the same page," he spoke, after a moment of silence.

I recalled the scenes. It was true when he said, 'that's pure luck,' because that was really my lucky shot. I was not even confident with that. I presumed, he expected me not to make it, too. However maybe, he wanted a draw, so he could adjust the deal to something else. In conclusion, he purposely shoot the bullet outside the circle.

"You can shoot with both of your hands, so you're a probably a professional shooter. Just think of it like this, a professional shooter versus an amateur shooter. Who do you think will win? Obviously, the professional one, unless that person let you win. Am I right?" I answered eventually.

"Let's suppose, you are. What made you think, I'm a professional shooter?"

"I don't have to answer that question."

"'I don't want to know anyway, if it would get me killed, and I'm too sleepy to bother anyway,'"he recreated the identical scene that happened a couple weeks ago when I first moved in.

"Wait, I said 'anyway' twice?"

"Yup, you did."

"Oh, my god! This is so embarrassing. I could jump off this cliff, right now." In front of us was a turn of a coast road, if I really did want to, I could speed off the edge.

"Go on. Just don't speed off and take my bike with you. It's expensive," he said, as we turned.

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"You're supposed to be _speechless_ by now."

"You're the one who's _imagining_ my lovely, beautiful voice."

"Ha! That doesn't work."

"What?! Why not?"

"You're not suppose to make it actually dark. That's why there's the word 'humor' behind it."

"But you cracked, so that's count."

He did not argue and even chuckled. "Well, how does Japanese buffet sound?" he suggested a while later.

"Is it far from here?"

"Nah. Look at your one o'clock."

"Oh, sure!"

He drifted into the parking lot, and I followed him.

Our lunch lasted about a hour and a half. It was only a bit of a walk from the restaurant to where our bike parked, but I started to breath heavily. I had to admit that I maximized my capacity of handling food; even though, I needed not to.

"Jason, could you slow down a bit?" I asked with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath from the walk.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I'm out of breath," I answered, sitting down on the near by bench with my head falling back.

"Out of breath?"

"Yeah, I ate a bit too much, and now I'm feeling sick."

"Are you sure that, that's 'a bit' too much?" he commented, placing himself next to me.

"No, it might be a little more than a bit."

He stared into my eyes for clarification.

"Fine, it's a lot more than I should eat. But they're good, I don't regret eating them. Well, I'm regretting a bit, right now."

He nodded slightly, after hearing what he wanted to listen.

I sat silently, breathing for minutes.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks," I replied, standing up.

"You're welcome," he continued, walking at a slower pace. "Do you want to go anywhere after this?"

"I don't really know about Gotham much, so I don't really know where to go next. Maybe, if you want to, you can show me some good part of Gotham. I don't usually hear any good rumors back at home."

"Well, you're in luck. I know Gotham like the back of my hand, and I'll tell you, no matter how rare it can be, there are good parts in Gotham."

"Lucky me to meet such a decent person here. Really. I have no idea what type of person I should be expecting."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." I stood next to the motorcycle, and put on the ear piece and helmet.

"Let's go home first, and come back out again later," he suggest from the mic.

"That works for me."

We speeded down the empty road until we got caught in the traffic light at the bridge to enter Downtown of Gotham. Compared this to the Uptown bridge I used to get here from home, this was even more ridiculous.

Since we had been waiting for a couple minutes after being tangled at the same red light after the other, I started up a conversation to pass the time. "Is it going to be rude of me, if I ask a personal question?"

"No, we'll eventually get there, anyway."

"I mean, not in a flirtatious way, you are one stunning man."

"Thank you," he cut in between.

"You're welcome. I know you want to keep your profile low, but it's also almost a month. And, I've never seen you with a woman, or a man."

"Well, you work in the morning, so you won't actually see anyone when I actually brought them home, right?"

"Then, you must be very good at cleaning up because I don't see any evidence of them, too."

"That's my job, but well, I actually haven't brought anyone home. I'm on a break."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm never in a real deep relationship. Never could, and probably never will."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It usually ended up pretty bad with them being tangled with my work, and if they're already are, it just goes worse... Might be that. What about you?"

"Well, I kind of got fed up with relationship. There's just too many sacrifices to be made, and I guess, I'm just not up for it. But, I do have a long term relationship with my work."

"Well, I can't deny that either," he finished, and at last, the light turned green. And it was long enough for us to pass the traffic.

Soon, we got home tiredly after our patience had been tested. Sometimes, it made me wondered why there was so much traffic in Gotham, but the answers were obvious.

He opened the room, and I followed. "Crap! This room is cold..." I yelped, entering the living room. I dashed to the heat controller at the wall above the dinning table. As the conditioner let out the heated air, I sighed with relief. "You're not cold?"

He shrugged like it did not bother him at all and paced pass me to unlock his room.

"Don't forget my dinner," I sang, before he was going to slip into the room.

"I thought, you said you were extremely full an hour ago." He took a glance at his watch and continued, "Literally, and you're thinking of eating again?"

"That was an hour ago," I claimed shamelessly.

"TT." He clicked his tongue in amusement, but then, his expression changed as if he did something wrong. "Damn, that brat is rubbing off me," he murmured but I could still hear clearly.

I wondered which brat he meant, but I did not say it out loud.

"Well, I won't. It's part of the deal. Be ready in three hours. I'll take you to the 'good part' of Gotham."

"I can't wait!"

Two hours and a half later, my head was dangling off the sofa with my legs over the backrest, looking at the T.V. upside down and trying very hard to defeat the one of the ganon.

Jason came out of his room at last and really did not like the state I was in, "Sit properly!"

He sounded like my dad for a second. Maybe be it was because of their job that gave them the tone, but I had grown not to be scared of it. "I'm trying to look at things from different perspective!"

He came right over and grabbed my red console, and I quickly sat up with my hands after it. By the time I retrieved it, the familiar sound effect played and I had to start over again.

"Man, you suck," he commented.

I pouted and pushed my back against the backrest, where it was meant to be used for. "Well, that's because someone interrupted me!"

"Nah, I don't think so. You've been at it for a while, now." He reached out for my console and checked the weapons I had. "Fine, I'll take it back... You're worse."

I gasped, "My, God! You're so mean!"

"I know."

I tried to get back at him, "I beat you in shooting."

"You didn't."

"You lost the bet."

"Well, I did, but I'm making the most out of it. Why do you think I took you to a buffet rather than a normal restaurant?"

"Argh! You're like one of those people that ace everything! Don't you dare say, you were meant to be."

"I am meant to be," he claimed with a victorious grin.

I narrowed my eyes at him and grumbled, "You little punk. I won't let you belittle me anymore! Let's get my dinner, and we'll see if you can live up to what you propose."

"Well, then. What are we waiting for?"

He took out the black motorcycle and made me sit on the pillion because 'it was easier that way.' It took me awhile to accept how close we had to be after the small argument at the apartment, but he wavered me by mentioning the time and said we were going to miss it if I did not make a decision.

And, that was what led me on the bike that was driving up the hill and shaking because of the rocky road. I really was not sure if he was taking me to a 'good place' on Earth or another dimension after he shoot me in the head... Oh, look, the sun was setting. Maybe, I could get my last chance to see the sunset before I died deep in the forest where no one would disturb me.

After a little while longer, he stopped at the top of the isolated hill. I got off the vehicle and stared at the view of the ocean that was turning red because of the light and the tiny city far away behind me. Also, not to mention, the gorgeous view of the sun descending into the water was just memorizing. I might not mind dying here.

Well, at the very least, I befriended my murderer before I died. One thing off my bucket list that I never knew I had.

I closed my eyes as I heard his footsteps approached and prepared for the worst. I guessed, this was what I should have thought of before agreeing with a Ghost.

I sensed his arms over my shoulders and then... a soft fabric around me?

"Keep warm. We're going to stay here for a while," he uttered. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks," I responded, still wondering what would happen next.

"You seem tensed. Are you cold?"

"No, no. I'm fine. I'm more than comfortable... Take the shot whenever you want. I'm ready, if that will make you feel better."

"What?"

"I don't know... You're a Ghost. You barely leave any mark of existence here. Also, we only got to know each other today, and you brought me to this beautiful isolated place with rich soil. What do you think, I'll think?"

"You think I brought you here to kill you?"

"Well, you're a nice guy, but that doesn't mean you're not a psychopath," I reasoned defensively.

"Oh, come on! There's like a-hundred-and-three ways of killing you without taking you all the way up here."

"I know, but maybe, you felt bad for me. And, I might have earned the luxury of seeing this place before I die over the last ten hours we talked to each other."

"Okay, fine. Your logic makes sense, but that doesn't mean it's true."

"It's not?"

"Hell, no! You're a perfectly good human being. Why would I do that?"

"I mean, you might be a psy-."

"I'm not a psychopath," he cut in.

"Everyone says that."

He looked so done at me and crossed his legs on the grass. "Fine. I'll kill you later. Now, shut up and come down here."

I listened and sat down at the spot beside him.

"Here," he passed me a sandwich.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Maybe, there was poison in it. Well, how terrible could it be to die like that? I unwrapped it and took a bite. I did not expect the jalapenõ and choked a little, but all was fine. Weird.

"It's hot," I remarked.

"Excuse me. It's called season to perfection, unlike your bland ham-and-cheese between two slices of bread."

"It's called sandwich, but I wasn't complaining. Do you have any water?"

"No, but I got some coffee in the thermal."

"Coffee? It's almost dark. What do you have to do at night that you need coffee to stay awake?"

"A lot."

"Right," I realized, I should not have asked the question.

"So, do you still want it?"

"Sure, if you don't have anything else."

He poured the drink in a paper cup. Upon receiving, the heat reminded me of my frozen finger tips, but the thought soon vanished after holding on to it.

I made myself comfortable and watched the sun sinking into the sea and the sky turning dark blue. I sat there patiently as the stars shone brighter and the temperature got lower, but I felt fine with the warm blanket.

Then, I looked over to him and wondered, "Do you have another blanket?"

"No. Is it getting too cold for you?"

"No, I'm fine. I just thought you might be cold."

"Heh. I've gone through worse," he flicked it off his shoulder.

I shuffled the blanket to the end of one side and invited warmly, "But, you don't have to bear with it. We've got plenty to share."

"Aww, you're just making it harder to kill you," he stated without accepting the invitation.

"I'm not, but I figured you won't kill me anytime soon," I told him and forced the extended blanket over his shoulder.

He did not reject it, but countered jokingly, "Well, what gives? The fact that I said I wasn't, am not, and won't kill you? Ha, no, that was not obvious at all!"

"It was a plausible circumstance!"

"Do I look that psychotic?"

"Have you never seen yourself in the mirror?" I joked, before giving him the actual reason, "You said it yourself this morning, 'It's just the appearance that counts.'"

"You really took it seriously, huh."

"Of course!"

"You didn't have to."

"No, I wanted to. (You're the only one I know that lives in Gotham, and if I wanted to survive here, your credibility have just gone off the roof.)"

"Hmm," he sounded, looking out to the view where the light pollution could not touch, and rested his head on mine. He jolted up after realizing his action and apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"No, no, it's fine." I budged closer to him and placed my head on his shoulder. "Now, we're even."

* * *

I yawned, gazing at the clock from my bed. It read ten to seven, just about time to get ready for work. Er... no. I went back to bed for another ten minutes until the alarm went off.

Not until then, was I ready to begin my day. I jumped off the bed and snatched a towel on my way out. I quickly tied my hair up like usual and grabbed a mug of oral products off the shelves.

"Snap!" I heard, seconds before my hair covered up all my back again. Another hair elastic band broken. Why was I not surprised?

I crouched down to pick up the remains, but I also noticed a small square slightly dented into the wall next to the bathtub. I was curious to what it was and tried pressing it randomly. Suddenly, the top part levered, and a polished hand gun revealed itself.

A hand gun in the bathroom... Paranoid, much?

Well, anyway, what choice did I have to react to this new information?

A. Scream away

B. Ignore it

C. Try to ignore it; even though, I might not be able to

I went with 'C' because it seemed to be the most plausible reaction I would actually do.

I pushed the lever back to its place and ignored it until I found another similar dent on one of the shower's tiles. I guessed, I might not be able to tone down my curiosity after all. I pressed on it as well. However this time, the tile bounced back and became a small door into an insulated space with a container of blue silica gel. There was no gun inside apparently, but there was a good amount of throwing knifes.

They were identical to the one I saw on my first visit. I believed, all of the weapons were for protection, but how much could one needs in a bathroom? Maybe, it was only me that found it too many for this tiny room.

I went to the kitchen to get some cereals. I pulled out two boxes from the cabinet and pushed them back in once I had what I need. Fascinatingly, the two similar boxes would not sit equally. I tried pushing it in harder, but it seemed like something was in the way behind the box.

I climbed up the counter and shuffled the boxes out of the way. I reached in and felt a long, staff-like object. I pulled it out and brushed off the week old of dust. It was a katana. A beautiful one.

I smiled at it and placed it back to its original place. It was not mine, but that did not mean I could not admire it with a smile.- Oh, shit!

It took me long enough to realize that I had made a huge mistake.

Everything was recently cleaned! The handgun was polished. The silica gel inside the trap door was still blue. However, the katana was partly covered with dust which meant it should be next in line to be cleaned. And I just brushed off the dust on it!

Oh, my God! I should not feel this much trouble, but I was feeling it.

Think, Andy, think! What could you do right now? You could not put the dust back where it was, and that was for sure. You could apologize and say you accidentally saw it. Maybe, but would he just accept it? What if I give him an excuse if he asked?- I could not think of any reasonable one.

My God! He would probably think someone, his enemy, got into his domain which was in a way, true. I was someone, but, hell, I was not a threat!

Should I just play above suspicion, now, until he realized something was off? I was not sure, but that was what I wanted to do the most: ignoring everything and let it be on its own. So, I ended up doing so, trying to tell myself it would be alright. Even if, I knew whole-heartedly, it was probably not.

I quickly suited up to work, keeping myself from overthinking and taking a step away from the situation. By the time I got back home, I told myself, 'If he found out, how bad can it be? We're in good terms, and everything's been fine between us. How bad can it be?'

I opened the door and entered the dim living room. Over the lack of light inside, I could see him standing clearly out at the balcony. He was watching the city under him with a roll of cigarette from an old, beaten-up package.

I closed the door behind me, and he turned toward me after the lock sounded. No word was exchanged between us because his gaze already said it all.

I paced to him and greeted normally, "Hello, Jason!"

"Hi," he responded and put the cigarette out on the metal rail.

"How are you?" I continued.

"Oh, cut the crap! Tell me, who are you?"

The words, he spoke so nonchalantly, sent chills down my spine. Was this a normal feeling for someone to have under an interrogation? If so, what should I be answe-

"C'mon. What's your real name?"

I jumped when he interrupted my thoughts. It was like my body was overreacting to everything around me; even though, I did not have to be. "Andrea Albertsons."

"Bullshit."

One word left his mouth, and I could not force myself to back away fast enough. It felt like I was breaking something very important between us.

"Who send you here?"

"I brought myself here, but I'm regretting it right now," I remained true to my statement. Even though, I still stepped backward every time he came closer. Until, I hit the couch and stumbled on to it. I could not back out any further, so I stopped the retreat and sat up straight.

With his shadow overcasting me and the cold eyes staring at mine, he called me out again, "Lies!"

However the word did not cause all my hair to stand like the others, this time it boiled the blood under my skin. I had done many wrongs in my life, and I would never deny it, if I was at fault. In this, I was not. I stepped on the couch and faced him, "Excuse me! If that's 'crap', then it's 'bullshit', and this's 'lies'! What the hell am I doing here, getting yelled by you and still keeping your secrets?!"

I knew my face was burning, but I would never let a single drop of tear run down my cheeks. Not until he toned down his negativity on me or I left this place.

Suddenly, his arms slipped around my waist and held me tight. "I'm sorry."

"Jason, what the hell!" I tried pushing him away, but I cracked. Tears started pouring out, and I barely had any strength left in me.

"Last night," he began, burying his face on me, "I trusted you. Today, I thought you betrayed it... I'm sorry."

"Oh, hell no! I'd never do that!" I burst and hugged him back.

* * *

Why was my bed so firm? When did I even go to bed?

I had not opened my eyes, but I tried recalling what happened. I remembered, I was talking to Jason, but that was it.

Oh, shit! Did I pass out from crying again? I guessed, I had been bottling up too much for the past few months, and when I got to let something out, I just let everything out.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a rhythmical sound. It was almost like pulse.- Wait, pulse?!

My closed eyes were, now, wide opened. I pushed myself up with my hands on his shoulders and looked down at his face.

"Good morning," he said casually.

I stared blankly at him, trying to make sense oh what happened. Why was I on top of him? Why was he under me? Why were we on the couch?

Then, his face became increasingly concerning as we sat up, and I acknowledged that I must say something before it was too lat-

He grabbed my shoulders and pondered, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Oh! I'm fine, I'm fine. Good morning to you too!"

"Fuck me, are you sure?"

I quickly nodded.

"Fucking hell," he exclaimed in relief. "I thought I broke you! You cried for hours!"

I titled my head to the side a little to question.

"What?" he grumbled, not in the mood to guess what I wanted to ask.

"I cried for hours?"

"Yeah! And at one point, you talked about the melted ice-cream on the street, and how sad it was for the delicious thing!"

"No way! I can't possibly be that out of my mind. I might have bottled up a lot of things, but not this!"

"... Maybe, you're right... I might have dreamt it. It's such a blur, but man, that was a good dream compared to the usual."

"What's worse than dreaming about me crying over melted ice-cream?"

"Dreaming about the same thing too many times. That's the worst. At one point, you just don't know if it's actually happening or not."

Even though, he was laughing at it; the tone of voice he used was so dark, I could not bear to remain on the topic.

I created an entirely different subject after a small pause, "So, I know you're a Ghost, but what do you actually do that you have to hide all these weapons around the house?"

"Well, if I tell you, I got to kill you... I thought you didn't want to die."

"Then, you don't have to tell me. I'll guess and you can just shake your head if it's not it, or not react to any of it at all! Therefore, if you're not technically telling me anything, you don't get to kill me."

"Now, you're just playing around because you know I won't kill you for no good reason."

With what he said, he just admitted that knowing his occupation was not a good enough reason to make someone dead and gave me a playground.

My face was up to no good after realizing it, and I casually questioned, "F.B.I? C.I.A? Undercover?"

"None of the above."

"Yeah, I thought so. You don't seem like someone that will take orders that well."

"Excuse me!" he objected.

"Sorry! Bubble thoughts!" I excused myself and ran off to work.

At the first look she had of me, Ms. Harper almost demanded me to go home. I would say her radar on human state had always been surprisingly sensitive. I might not look so much like shit after hours of crying last night with these makeup on, but the crying part did worn me down a little.

Maybe, she picked up the little tired part of me because I was always an over-energetic person at work but I was not entirely that on the day. Anyway, I told her not to worry about it; however, I still ended up not working because the City Alarm went off.

It was a normal procedure in Gotham whenever a rogue appeared. Everyone was meant to take the staircase down to the main floor where we must remain inside unless there was a second alarm where we had to evacuate the building. We also had these small emergency package from Wayne Enterprise that was required for every person at work to have at their reach. It was considered of a collapsible gas mask, an oxygen tube, an ear plug, a battery-free riddle searcher, and a hand-free, one-step, free-size shoes for running that came in a form of folded, flat hexagon.

I found the last one the most intriguing. It was adapted from an innovation many years ago of a hand-free, shoe covers. Now, it had been upgraded to replace people's dress shoes in emergency.

On my way to the main floor, something exposed outside. Luckily, the stairwell of this building was huge on natural light, and I could see everything that was happening across the street from the windows.

It seemed like a rogue robbed the bank and took over a theater next to it as a hostage. I was not sure which dumb criminal would be doing two things at the same time until a henchman with a clown mask walked out to guard the door.

"Who the fuck let the Joker out again this time?! I got too much work on my desk to put up with all this shit!" a co-worker of mine snarled and stomped down the stairs in tiresome.

I kept my eyes outside. This was my first City Alarm experience, but I knew as the matter of fact, if there was Joker, there would be Red Hood.

I waited a few moment, and the sky suddenly darken. So dark, it did not seem like the crime was happening in the morning. Then, Batman appeared out of nowhere as a glimpse before he entered the typical-looking bank with numbers of pillars and a busted dome from the explosion.

What the heck? How did the sky gets this dark? I did not know Batman had magical power to turn day into night... So dramatic.

Not long later, Red Hood showed up, but he did not do anything in anyway to help Batman. He was just watching from the top of the opened dome of the building. It also seemed like nobody noticed he was there from their view on the ground.

Well, except me, I was the idiot protagonist that stayed on the stairwell between the fourth and fifth floor to see it happening.

After another while, Batman jumped to the theater next to the bank. Maybe, there was some negotiation, and Batman chose to same the hundred of lives in the building instead of capturing the rogue. Red Hood did not look pleased from my view. He was shaking his head, shaking his head a lot. Once Batman was out of sight, Red Hood interfered, and I could no longer see anything from the view I had of the buildings' exterior.

For the next two hours, I was sitting on the crowded floor of the lobby, doing nothing. It was by law that we had to wait until the police released us by coming door to door in person and a group of three. I acknowledged that it was a safety procedure, but hell, that was boring. At least, it was over.

I walked back home with the daylight returned to the sky. It was truly odd how Batman turned the sky dark, but no one ever had the chance to question him as always. Well, it was not like anyone would care to ask. He was Batman, and that was already one great reason and to the point.

Hmm... Mom would be thrilled to heard about this.

Once I was in the house, I instantly skipped to my room and striped into my pajamas. I called Mom and told her all the maniac event that I went through. I also mentioned about the 'good place' that actually exist in Gotham and complimented how good my roommate had been to me, without speaking about the misunderstanding, him and his killer vibe yesterday.

"That better not be a date, Andy," Mom commented.

"What? Mom! No! We're friends!"

"You didn't have to shout," I could hear a smug from her through the phone.

"Mom, no. Seriously, we're just friends."

"Yeah, yeah," she agreed in disbelief.

"Well, you know, what. He's good-looking, smart, nice and mysterious. If we're really dating, what can you do about it?"

"I wouldn't do anything about it anyway. He looks like a decent guy.-"

"That's what you said to every single person I told you about."

"Well, what can I say? You've never gone full-on punk and hippy with me. As long as they are a good person and you're happy, I'm fine with anyone on the spectrum. Anyway, I heard 'mysterious'. That's new."

"Yeah."

"Doesn't seem like you want to talk about it."

"No, not really. It kinda hurt my know-it-all reputation, you know."

Then, she paused and returned, "I got to take this call. It's probably another meeting."

"Oh, okay! Bye! Love you."

"Bye, Darling! Love you, too."

* * *

The next morning, I was at the kitchen like usual, preparing my own breakfast. I heard a rattling sound at the door, so I opened it, knowing the person was probably Jason.

He was surprised to see me and retrieved his keycard from the door pad. The action of pulling his hand away put my attention to it, and I noticed the scratches and bruise on his knuckles. There was also a cut on his lips, but he did not look beat up. It looked more like he beat someone up.

"Oh, hello, my dear roommate!" he greeted with an unusual delightedness and properness.

"Well, hello to you, too, my dear friend!" I reflected the unusual and let him in.

"Fucking shit! That was awful!"

"Agreed. Hearing the word 'dear' from you gives me goosebumps."

"Yeah. Ridiculously, out of place."

"Mm-hmm... So, you got into a fight?" I inquired out of curiosity, while he was taking off his shoes.

"Yeah, a bit."

"Do you need help with bandages?" I quested, putting my dishes away.

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Alright, then."

As I was cleaning up my mess, I detected a tiny crack on the white-marbled counter top paralleled to the side line of the sink. I quickly washed up and pressed on it.

He saw me around it and warned, "Don't you dare press on it."

"But... I already did it before you told me not to."

He sighed and came over. Instead of pushing it down to close, he pulled it up.

The slot raised up as tall as the depth of the sink, and once it was fully above, the two shelves inside it titled for easy access. The top was full of magazines, and the bottom was full of different types of knives.

"Wow, that's a lot more knives than I thought there should be in the kitchen," I babbled.

"Keep talking," he threatened.

I stopped.

"You see, these six knives are from all around the universe. Some of them have rare poisons in it, while some of them are already deadly on its own because of what it's made of. And, these are bullets. You already know what's it made of and it's potential. Now, I'll let you chose your poison. Choose wisely, and you might live."

My lips twisted as I played his game. "Heh, I thought you were going to go harder on me."

"So, you've already decided?"

"Well, of course."

"What will it be then, my dear?"

"Oh, the cringe!"

"I'll take what I can get."

"Well." I grabbed one thing out and placed it in his hand with my life on the line.

"I guess, you're living another day, Andrea," he stated and put the magazine away since it only had the potential but could do nothing without a gun. He smiled and patted me twice on the shoulder.

Before he left, I caught his wrist. "Wait, now, you're killing me alive. What do you mean when you said these knives are from all around the universe?"

"Like I said, 'I'll take what I can get'," he smirked, torturing me.

"That's sadistic."

"Well, that's more like me than a psychopath... but still not it. I'm really not into those type of thing, y'know."

"Oh, please! Come on! At least, tell me why you have any of these?"

"I'm prepared for zombie apocalypse," he answered, foreseeing that it would not satisfy my curiosity.

"Oh, damn you! There's a reason why it called apocalypse! It meant to be a final destruction. There's no way anyone could survive it!'

"I will."

"Oh, hell no! After what you've done today? I swear, I'll be the one that bite you!"

"You can try."

With his wrist in my hand, I pulled him closer. I stepped in between his arms and titled my head to press my lips on his neck.

The moment I realized what I did, I felt a short, high-voltage electricity circuited all across my body. I had to take a step away. I crossed my arms with a hand to my mouth to keep my hands from shaking. I could not even look at him, but I caught glimpses of his action.

He was looking away as well with a hand covering his neck and the other on his face. His ears were so red, it was hard not to notice.

My, God, Andy! What had you done to this man? To yourself? How far had you gone to prove a point?

I wanted to scram as fast as possible, but I had already done so much to make the point. I told him slowly and cooly, so I would not have to do it again, "I know you let your guard down around me. I just want to point it out that, that kiss could have been a bite. I didn't mean to put us... you know... in this situation."

"Mm-hmm. Understood," he nodded but still was not looking at me.

I quickly made my way around him to get away from the narrow path and ran to work, so I could mistaken my racing-heart as something that normally happened during excerises. However, the distance was too short, and I ended up running around the outside of the building twice like a mad lady on heels to kill the tension inside me.

At least, all the feelings finally disappeared when I clocked in and seated on my comfortable rolling chair. Although after work, it returned when I knew I was going to see him at home.

I tried to prolong the walk as much as possible, and as I approached the door to the apartment, I chanted, reminding myself, "I'm an adult. I've already owned up what I did. I told him, I was proving my point. He understood... Then, why the hell am I blushing like a teenager in front of my own house? I can't even make myself walk inside! I understand that kissing someone's neck was not an unordinary thing to do, but no normal person would have done it to their roommate!"

I paced back and forth upon frustration until the door clicked.

"What the fuck are you doing outside?" he complained with a book in his hand.

"Umm... I-"

"You know what, I don't really care. I'm in the middle of this book, it's good, and hearing you stomping around the door is annoying!"

He showed me the cover, but I did not have enough language skills to read the title.

"Oh, right," he smirked and leaned against the opened door, "You don't even know what language is it." He returned to the book and fluently read the foreign language out loud to mock me.

I shoved the book to his face out of envious. "Nerd," I remarked as I pushed him aside to get in.

"Admit it, you're jealous because I can do what you can't," he asserted without taking his eyes off the book.

I dug into my bag to find something practical and threw a lipstick and a mascara one right after the other like a dart.

He caught the lipstick, but the mascara hit him right on his forehead.

"Ow! What the hell? Where did the other one come from?"

"You wouldn't see it because it was right behind the lipstick, but you could've caught it, if you weren't in hurry to act cool and mic drop my lipstick!"

"What? I was gonna give it back to you!" he victimized himself.

"You weren't."

"Ah, screw it," he ranted and walked away after he placed my makeups on top of a cabinet where he could reach, but I could not.

"Oh, damn you, Jason!" Then, I remenbered, "Actually, I'm just gonna put on my dirty heels I used to run around the building twice today, climb the beautiful, shinny, white-marbled countertop with it, and bring some dust down with me from the top of the cabinets while I get my stuff."

After listening to my threat, he shuffled back to spot and returned the stuff in my hand. Although he did not stop there, he also pointed out, "Bold of you to assume that there's dust on top of the cabinets."

I shook my head, but I could not argue with him about that. He was the reason this apartment was spotless, it made a normal room like mine looked dirty.

Anyway once I was settled, it was time to get my dinner. I walked around quietly at the kitchen, so I would not disturb him on his reading.

He seemed to really enjoy it. Honestly, at first, I thought the book shelves were decorative because almost half of it was in different languages and part of it had an odd collection of Margret Atwood. Recalling from my memories, her works were strongly on women's perspective and liberal feminism, which truly surprised me when the condition of the books showed me that he had read them at least twice. It was also fascinating to me that I have not seen these details because I never took him as someone who would spend their down time reading until now, but I should not have judged the book by its hard cover to begin with.

"Oh, shit! I'm late!" he suddenly erupted the peace and put the book down. He ran to his room and picked up a blue duffel bag before he rushed out. Then, he rushed back in and took the book with him before he left with a silent wave at me.

I waved back, but he probably did not see it. To think of it, in contrast of me, he dealt with rush splendidly. Hopefully one day, I could pick up the skills; even though, I liked the calmness I acquired all the time.

Now, back to the meal, I opened the fridge, and there was barely anything. Well, except vegetables. Salad, it had to be then.

My, God, I was not even that broke yet.

I gobbled it up in no time, but something was still lacking. Something sweet, so I decided to pop by at the convenience store a block away. It was on the opposite direct of the grocery store I used to go; therefore, the street was quite safer to walk in the evening. Well, it was not so much better with a creepy, old, abandoned flat on the way, but there was more lights and middle-classed people compared to the other side.

At the store, I bought myself a quart of strawberry ice-cream, and the clerk gave me a bunch of plastic spoons I did not need. I just wanted to leave and go home, so I said nothing. I walked fast and even faster in front of the abandoned place. Who knew maybe it could be haun-

"Aahhhhhhh!" I screamed after something landed on my head and dropped in front of me. I was not hurt, but I was terrified. It was a stuffed bunny. That was creepy enough, and it was even creepier when I knew it fell from the haunted flat.

Holy shit! My legs froze, while I tried to make a step forward. Then, I heard something climbing down the tall building, and I held my ice-cream tighter. I was not even dared to look at what caused the sound

I sensed the thing stopped behind me, and a small child dressed in dirty cloth came to my sight and picked it up.

Fuck! Was I really seeing this? A ghost?! A real one?!

"I'm sorry. I dropped Mister Bunny on you," it said.

I nodded slowly, trying to use my brain. Then, it made eye contact at something next to me. I turned to look at the something subtly, and my legs gave away when I saw the red helmet.

"Oh, hey! We meet again," he said cheerily.

I was shook and turned to the child. "Tha-that's a child?"

"Er, yeah?"

"Not a fragment of my imagination, or something a haunted flat produce?"

"No."

"Oh, my God!" I gradually recovered and patted the road crumbs off my clothes as I stood up. "Ha, I really thought I've been played by ghosts and monsters," I mumbled.

"You're okay?"

"Pfft, yeah! It was just a stuffed doll... How've you been?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Just fine. But, what were you both doing here?"

"We sleep here," the kid answered.

"You two?" I pitied. The place looked awful.

"C'mon, now, Kid. Go inside. It's getting cold," he interrupted.

The kid skipped into the dark building like it was a beautiful sanctuary; however, to me, it was everything but.

"You live here?" I puzzled.

"No, it's just a place."

"Hmm," I tried to make out the whole flat in the dark, but it did not make me less skeptical about the living condition.

"It's better inside than it looks. At least, it's warm for the kids."

"Kids? There's more than one?"

He gave me no response. I figured they were probably the runaways that could not go to the orphanage due to laws and was left homeless, so he took them under his wings. As someone that could kill a person without hesitation, he was one giant, murderous teddy bear.

"So, what are you now? The Bat that hoard kids around?" I joked since Gothamites liked to give their Dark Knights creative titles.

"I dare you to say that again."

"Alright. As long as, you're not using them as child labor."

"Of course, not!"

"I thought so, you killed too many of them to be one."

He groaned and changed the topic, "So, you're not from around here right? How's it been in Gotham?"

"It been great! I got mugged once, that you already know. My work here is paying decently, and I'm lucky to get a good roommate near my work place," I answered, shuffling the plastic bag in my hand to bring out the ice-cream. I gave him a spoon.

He hesitated but took it anyway, before continuing, "You've got a roommate?"

He had to take off his helmet, but the hooded part of his jacket and the dim light from the street did not give me a hint of his face.

I scooped a spoonful of the creamy sugar and replied, "Yeah, it was hard to get a place to stay here that's affordable for a new worker, but I'm thriving. My roommate also had the price so low, it's too good to be true, which it was. It's like he's trying to stay under the radar, or something."

"You knew, and you stayed?"

"Yeah, he's a good guy, and-"


	10. Chapter 10

Jason and I were at the kitchen, one of us just got home and the other was about to leave. Therefore, maybe, I could say I was having dinner with my roommate for breakfast.

I started up the conversation by asking him, "So, were you late last night?"

"Yeah a bit, but they didn't make as much fuss of it as I thought... Well, I got a full five minutes complaint in total which was not bad."

"What a picky boss!"

"Correction. Picky, mini-bosses. They're all like one-forth my size, but I couldn't do anything!"

I laughed at his exaggerated frustration and took the chance to question about his occupation, "What do you actually do at night? Taking care of kids?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes.

Anyway, I shoved the thoughts away because I was dying to tell him about my night, "Guess which Bat I got to talk to last night!"

"Oh, so you've asked about mine to tell me yours. I'm hurt. I thought you were being considerate."

"I was! But, I also want to tell you mine. So make a guess."

"Nightwing's not here. Batgirl and Orphan doesn't come around this part of the city much. The Big Bat doesn't talk. Robin's a brat. Red Robin's probably overdosing on caffeine somewhere. We live near Crime Alley, so it's Red Hood."

"Correct! But I'm curious, what did you mean by 'Red Robin's probably overdosing on caffeine somewhere'? How did you even know about it?"

"I had to go after him on one of my missions. He was drinking gallons of coffee with energy drinks. He probably already invented caffeine patches for himself by now... Sometimes, I don't know how that kid's alive."

"Oh... Like the ones from 'Meet the Robinsons'? Twelve cups of coffee a patch?"

"Yeah, but probably more."

"No wonder why, he doesn't grow."

He burst out laughing at my comment.

"Hey! Don't laugh! I was being sentimental for the poor guy! It must be tough for him!"

He did not listen, but he settled down soon enough.

"Alright, let's get back to what I wanted to tell you."

"Mm-hmm," he sounded, picking up his glass of water.

"The Red Hood reads the same book you do."

Suddenly, he choked on his water and vigorously coughed it out. "Say what?!" he quested with an eyebrow arched and his voice almost an octave higher.

"Yeah, I know right! It was sticking out of his back pocket when he climbed back up to the building. It was far away, but I can clearly see that it was that cover. I can't believe my eyes, too!"

He paused, realizing something, and uttered, "Oh. Yeah. What a coincidence."

"Is the book that good that he also had one?"

"Excuse me, 'is the book that good'? It's a classic! I would've said, he got a great taste in literature."

"Hmm, really? You're not just praising yourself by praising him? (I'm not trying to discredit you, or anything, it just seems like what you'd do when you got the chance to.)"

He shrugged. I guessed, he did not care how I wanted to interpret it.

"Anyway, there's more about him I want to tell you."

"Seriously? More about the Red Hood? Isn't knowing that he can differentiate between a good book and a bad book enough already? What's so good about him anyway?" he laid a guilt trip on me for talking too much about the anti-hero.

I did not feel a tint of guilt, and if there was some, I flicked it off like dust. I continued, "Well, first of all, he's a good listener. (Unlike you, right now.)"

"Oh, c'mon, he was probably dozing off under that mask," he asserted.

"Seriously," I scolded. "You can't just shove your bad personalities into someone else's throat!"

"So defensive," he pouted bitterly.

"Well, I've been following his work. I don't see why shouldn't I. He's a good guy."

"... Are you sure? Do we even have the same definition for 'good guy'?"

"Yeah, I think so," I explained, "I know he kills people. He taints the glorious Bat's code of no killing. Actually, no one even knows if he's part of the family, or not. He might have just taken the Bat's sign for himself... But, he stands tall in the grey area where no one dared to. He's not scared of making his hands dirty, and he is really brave to do so. Not like the others that tries to keep their hands clean, while they were already half way in the mud."

I paused, discovering that it still did not clarify how he was a 'good guy', so I concluded, "I guess, from where I grew up, I learned that good things always come with a price. And, the price has to be paid, no matter if it was to do the wrong things. But, most importantly, it's how much you pay to end it for good... He paid the most, it shows, and the result doesn't lie. I just couldn't help but respect him for that."

"... Hmm," he sounded, covering his face. He seemed so uncomfortable that his ears redden.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a hypocrite by shoving my idea to you. It's just an opinion, and it's very biased... Just forget it."

"Wait," he spoke softly, "You can't just give it to me and take it away like that."

I was really out of context about what he said, but my hand was already reaching out again when I heard the shatters in his voice. He caught me again as well; although, this time he held on to it.

He sighed out of ease and squeezed my hand gently, before placing it back to where it should be: away from him. There was an obvious line between us that he did not want me to cross, and I respected it. I stayed on my side, and he remained in his.

"What you said," he spoke distantly, "if you really mean it, don't take it back."

I shook my head and repeated, "I won't."

Soon, it was time for me to leave, but before I did, I gave him a pat on the back. I had no idea what he was going through and no intention of stepping over the line, but I wanted to support him as a human to one another, a roommate, a friend.

He did not oppose my action, but he also did not accept it openly. He had no need to because I just wanted to give him the message.

* * *

After work, I went straight to do the errands, so I would not end up walking at night again. There was too much dear in my life that I did not even want to risk it by facing a mugger.

Upon leaving with my required groceries, it seemed like I always encountered the unnecessaries and gave into it. And this time, there was a displayed mountain of strawberries on sale, sixty-percent off.

As most people may notice, I had a small complex with strawberries and ended up taking four boxes of it with me. Then next to it, there was some whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and of course, how could I miss out.

To not get any further out of hand because I was limiting myself to the money I could use each week, I went straight to the cashier and checked out. I was not even dared to look at the flyer the cashier gave me before I was far from the store.

Apparently, the flyer was nothing about food or spending more money. It was from some newly opened paintball arena, giving out one free trial to an every-persons-for-themselves game. It had a limited players of twenty, but the last man standing would get a trophy and a free membership.

The prize did not intrigue me as much as the game did. I had not played paint ball for a couple years now, so this might bring back some good memories. It was being hosted on Saturday as well, and as a relationship-less person, it was a happy, free day.

I reached home by the time I finished reading the terms and conditions. Then, I began filling up half the fridge with the goodies I bought. The empty half of the fridge was Jason's. He had not cooked since I arrived, but which ever bread I knew, he had them. So, I guessed, the space he used outside the fridge made up for it.

Although, interestingly for a house with only two people in it, I had never seen a single slice of bread went bad. He probably ate them, but I could not imagine someone eating at least ten loaf of bread a week. That could add up to two loafs a day!

Seriously, how much carbs did he eat per day? Or maybe, he gave it away before it got moldy?

Well, did I really care? Not really. I might have even given it too much thoughts already.

I returned to my task of rinsing and de-stemming two boxes of strawberries for my own convenient. I placed them in a large bowl and left them in the fridge to cool down.

Meanwhile, I changed into my pajamas and dried my hair which felt like centuries. Literally, my arms were dangling out of soreness when I got to all of my hair.

At least, I was done with that, and I could enjoy a movie since I had no meetings tomorrow. I picked up the strawberries and placed it on my lap with the whipped cream and chocolate syrup at reach from the couch.

As the movie started, I held on to the bowl of strawberries. They were nice and cold, and I gave it a taste-test once I topped the whipped cream on some of them. The bite I had of the strawberry topped with cream made my day, and the second with chocolate made it even better.

The sweet and sour feelings made me shivered satisfyingly until I detected an unwanted attention... Jason was going to work around this time. He walked pass me to the bathroom. He did not seem to notice that I had a bowl of strawberries at first, but when he came out all dressed, he was staring like a wolf.

He casually sat next to me, as if I did not know his ulterior motive.

"Mine," I told him, before he planned anything.

"Hmm, I don't see your name on it."

"I don't have to. It's on _my_ lap."

He left, but my guard was still up, knowing he had not given up. He walked behind the couch and snatched one with topping from the bowl when he passed me.

He was fast, but I got his wrist before he took it away. I ate it from his hand and licked the left over whipped cream on his finger tips.

"Thanks," I said, as if he was going to feed me since the start. I took another one from the bowl at the same pace, but I delayed when I accidentally got some whipped cream on the back of my hand.

He leaned over the couch and took my wrist. He licked the back of my hand and devoured the perfect strawberry I had my eyes on. I was pissed, but then he said, "Hmm, you taste good."

"You-you can't say that! Can you even hear yourself?" I pulled my hand away.

"Wha-what did I say wrong? Why are you... blushing?"

"Oh, my God!" I looked at his innocent face and wondered if I misheard, "What did you think you say, before you asked the questions?"

"Err... Something along the line of 'It's good'? I think, I remembered saying 'taste', so 'It tastes good'?"

"What's with all the questions in your voice?!"

"I don't know, I'm not sure what I said either. Did I say something bad?"

I vigorously nodded.

"I think, I remembered saying something very weird on the first day we met, too. Anyway, don't mind me, I was sleep-talking."

Note to self: give him coffee before talking to him.

"Forget it. Here, take some, and stay awake. I don't want another heart attack," I shared the strawberries with him.

"Oh, thanks!" he uttered and took a seat next to me.

The light from the T.V. was enough for me to notice the dark circles under his eyes in the dark room, so I questioned, "When's the last time you slept?"

"One, or two days. Maybe three. I don't know. Maybe a week. Who keeps track of that?" he answered nonchalantly.

I sighed and followed up, "Hard case?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk it out?"

"No."

"Okay... Want to watch a movie, or you're hurried to work?"

"Sure, I've got another five hours to spare. What are you watching?"

"I'm not sure myself, just found it on the home page. It's a RomCom, I think."

"'What dreams May Come'?"

"What was that?"

"The movie you were watching."

"Oh, I didn't really pay attention to the name. Just saw the cover, and it looked decent enough to watch."

"Looks old, but seems good. You wanna continue it from where you paused?"

"Nah. Just restart it. I've only seen five minutes of it."

"Okay."

By the ending of the movie, emotions were flooding out of my eyes. Flooding out, but there was no whimpering. I took a bite of the treat to swallow the feelings away, but I could not even taste the sweetness from the strawberries. Everything was sour, so I pushed the bowl off to the side.

Dammit, I had never had a habit of crying much, but it seemed to be the opposite this month. I did not even like crying in front of people, too, but why was it so easy to cry in front of him?

"Alright, I know I should not be emotional because it's just a movie, but may I borrow your shoulder?" I asked, but I did not wait for the answer, before leaning on him.

"Seriously, at least, you should get the genre right. Where's the bloody RomCom?"

"I told you, I was not paying attention! And... I really didn't expect such a nicely made love story."

He sighed and gave me a pat on the head.

"I don't think, I'll ever have such a loving relationship like them. He even searched for her from heaven to hell," I pitied myself.

"Hmm... I don't think, you will either," he did not help.

I gasped at his answer. "No, Jason! You're not supposed to say that. You're supposed to be comforting me and say yes, I will find someone."

"Err, let me think, no. You're too far off of reality. I'm just pulling you back, and I'm not saying that. This is an act of a great friend."

I sighed, "What was I expecting from you? You don't seem to believe in the concept of love itself."

I nudged a little away from him, wiping my tears away, and changed to some random show. It was boring, and soon, I started scrolling down my phone on Pinterest. It was a normal application that things did not go as well as shown in the picture most of the time. Although, it was quite entertaining to see all the art work, I could never draw.

Speaking of it, I found a cute comic strip with two character sitting on a couch. The other character fell asleep on the character's shoulder. That character started sliding down to the character's laps, and they looked totally adorable.

Until Jason had his head on my shoulder, the comic strip got a lot less adorable.

"Stay, alright," I murmured, reaching out to get him some pillow, but whatever, he did not seem to care what I thought.

He slowly glided down to my lap, while I quickly scrolled down the strip to see what I could do next. However, that was the end of it.

I looked down at him, resting on his side on my lap. Maybe, it was not that bad. He was tired, and I learned from him that he did not sleep for days. Well, now for once, he seemed at peace, and I kind of wanted him to remain that way.

I turned off the T.V., so the sound would not disturb him. Then, suddenly, there was a group of police cars passing by the apartment. There was no alarm on rogues, so it was probably something moderate. Although, he started stirring when the noise approached closer, so I decided to cover his opened ear. If his job had anything related to it, he had to leave in two hours anyway. He could catch up later.

After they passed, I retreated my hand and he tensed up like a child. He was at the virtue of waking up to my sudden action, but I put him back to sleep with slow, comforting strokes on his back. He was cute when he was all relaxed, and he seemed to be more at ease once I grounded him and his arm coiled around me.

* * *

I woke up, feeling awfully weighted like I almost could not breath. I opened my eyes to Jason on top of me. Well, that explained a lot about the weight...

Oh, shit! I had to wake him up last night, and I fell asleep myself!

I looked down at him: his face was nuzzled between my cleavage while my arms around his neck and his arms around my bare waist.

My, God, what a position we were in! We were not even dating!

But, I let it slide because I thought he was sleeping, and there was something more fishy. I heard the tabby cat meowing, which rarely happened because it was in the other room. How did it come out?

I turned my head around to see what I could and saw a teenage boy, sitting on the floor with the cat.

The boy looked very familiar like I might have seen him on some newsletters. He had dark, olive skin, which contrasted very well with his turquoise eyes. His hair was jet black just like his turtle-neck sweater and pant which resembled a casual wear of a business man. He was probably a son of one, but there was one thing I could not get over with, he had the most arrogant eyes I had ever seen!

"TT! Todd, the woman is awake. Get off her!" he snapped.

I ignored it and questioned him calmly, "How did you come in?"

"The door was open," he flat out lied.

"No, it was not."

"The window was open."

"Oh, fine... That somehow sounded more reasonable," I sighed, "No one seems to be normal here anyway... You want to talk to him? I don't think he's awake."

"He is since I stepped inside the house," the boy said confidently.

"How long have you been here?"

"Two hours," he answered and gave his attention to the tabby cat, "The cat is starving. Where is her food?"

"I don't know. I think it's in his room."

He soon found the food and returned, feeding the cat.

"So who are you?" I asked.

"Damian Wayne."

"I'm Andrea Albertsons. Nice to meet you, Damian."

"Are you one of Todd's?"

"No, I'm just a roommate. We're friends. Is it something urgent that you want to talk to him? You could leave a message with me, if you have to go somewhere."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here for a while," he replied.

"Hell, no, Demon Brat!" Jason suddenly exclaimed, pushing himself up against the couch.

"So you were awake this whole time," I paused a second until he looked at me. "You bastard!" I punched him, leaving a strip of scratch on his cheek bone. I got off the couch, massaging my wrist, and turned my back to him. "I was being a really really nice friend, letting you sleep on me. I can't believe you were taking advantage of my kindness to touch my bare skin! At least, ask me out on a date, so you earn it, Jerk!"

"I was sleeping!" he defended himself.

"Until last two hours ago, is it not?! This boy here is much more of a gentleman than you are, right now."

He did not oppose anything which meant it was true, or was he just in irk of me comparing them together. It did not matter...

"Damian, if you want to talk about anything, I'm all ears," I talked to the boy who was about an inch, or two, taller than me. "And, if he uses me as an excuse of not having you, then tell him I'm fine with it."

"Thank you," he nodded and smugged at Jason.

"It's not a problem. Please stay as your heart's content," I place my hand on his upper arm as an affirmation, but he flinched. Then, there was blood on my hand when I pulled back. "Oh, my God! You're hurt! What happened?"

Jason was quickly alerted from it. He took the boy from me and placed him on the stool. I went to the bathroom for one of the dozen sealed first aid kit, I found accidentally before. When I returned with it, Jason got the sweater off Damian, reveling a three inches cut that had been treated once, but some stitches were torn apart.

"What happened?" he questioned, stitching the boy back with gloves and the appropriate equipments. The boy seemed to be familiar with the pain which tickled my curiosity, but I held myself back.

"They're back."

"Who?"

"The Court. I got this yesterday when I unintentionally encountered them. Now, Father prohibited me from leaving the Manor," he said bitterly.

"Heh, you're grounded," he summarized the boy's extensive wording. "Anyway, why are you here, giving away my location?"

"TT, I figured, you'd ask. I'm looking for a partner because I am not the idiot who goes on a mission alone, without telling anyone, and gets himself killed."

"Seems legit to you, too, Brat."

"TT," he clicked his tongue again like it was a habit.

Then, I remembered Jason doing it as well. Putting two-to-two together, it made sense that the boy was the Brat he mentioned a while ago.

"Now, tell me why, I should help you after what you said."

"It's going to piss Father off very much to see my presence at the party."

"Have I not piss him enough?"

"No, not recently. He haven't mentioned you for a while, now."

"Well then, it's time for a comeback," he settled, finishing up the stitches, and gave the boy a fist-bump. They had the same smirk on their faces, as if they were brought up by the same person.

And, that did not look so good for whoever they were planning to get back at, but it was their family affair that I did not want to concern myself with. Additionally, since I was no longer needed to help with the wound sealed, there was no need for a third-wheel.

I decided to exclude myself from the problem and left the house for a run. I pushed all the inquiries to the back of my head and tried my best to forget it since there was no other choice.

I gave them an hour and more time while I changed into my casual clothes: a light-pink, split-sleeves top, and a sport, neon-blue shorts with white edges, welcoming the warm, but-still-cloudy season. A moment later, someone knocked on my bedroom's door. It was Jason.

"Hey, I'm going out to get some treat with the Demon Spawn. Do you want to come with us?" He paused considerately, "Are you still mad?"

What was I mad about? Oh, right, about this morning! Well, I was wrong too for not waking him up.

"A little," I told him, crossing my arms.

"I'll buy you a cone of ice-cream as an apology."

I gave him a grumpy look, "I'm not a kid, Jason." Then, I changed my expression with a smile and continued, "But, I'm in the mood for ice-cream."

"TT," we heard from afar, the annoyance.

"Cool! Let's go, then," Jason concluded with a smile.

We walked straight along the road as the sun starting to set. It was such a calm day compared to the other, but probably nothing was going to be certain after the sun disappeared as always.

"So, what happened to your work yesterday? I'm sorry, I didn't wake you up," I apologized, while we slowed down behind the boy.

"It's fine. It can't be helped, you fell asleep, and I woke up just in time anyway."

"... Then... how-"

"Oh! There's the trolley! What do you want?" he quickly shifted the subject. "Let me guess."

"Mm."

"Strawberry."

I nodded.

"Hell, yeah! I guarantee, this place is a lot better than the quart we had last time."

"Last time?"

"Yeah, last time... Wait, no. We've never had any together before," he corrected himself and handed a cone to me.

It was packed more punch than the one I bought from the convenient store, so he was right in a way. "Yeah, it's better than last time," I teased, thinking that he probably messed me up with someone else.

He shook it off and got some for himself and the boy. Then, the boy started biting on the ice-cream, and I shivered for him.

Although, Jason was more verbal than I was, "What the fuck? That's disgusting!"

"Shut up, Todd!" the boy crowed.

The name he used for Jason was almost strange to me, and to think that they seemed to be part of the same family, it was stranger. At last, curiosity got the best of me.

"So... are you guys like... related?" I puzzled.

"He's adopted," the boy answered immediately.

"His dad didn't know he's alive until the last six years."

"And you said, you're a Wayne... like Bruce Wayne?" I questioned the boy.

"Indeed, that's my father."

"That's mean you're the billionaire's adopted son!" I turned to Jason. "Wait, are you the one that suddenly disappeared, then reappeared, and disappeared again?! That Jason Todd?!"

"Yeah, so what?" he shrugged, "Suddenly, wanna marry me?"

"Oh, please, not even when hell freezes!"

"Yeah, 'bout that, it's actually frozen."

"Anyway, you know what I mean... No wonder, how you can afford all those things: the apartment and the motorcycles. But, what happened to your Gala life? Why are you even here?"

"First, _I_ bought the place and everything you've seen. Not him. Not even a single penny. Second, it's all started with a crowbar and some explosions. Then, some magic and poisons and more explosions. And some more magic, science, aliens, and pixie dusts, and we're here."

I looked at him with my eyes narrowed in disbelief. The first part was not impossible, but the second? I discard it right when he began since it was probably another one of his scam. So, I decided to just move on from the question to something that might concern me, "You're not going back, right?"

"Nah, I'm cool out here. I don't have to worry about all those 'codes', 'rules', and all those good things Old Man comes up with."

"And, now, there's another one who got fed up with those rules?" I glanced at the boy.

"No, it's my honor to obey Father's rules dearly."

Wow, that was one poetic child, and he seemed to be sincere about it. I was really not expecting that, considering all the ways he could have been raised poorly, and I smiled at the pleasant unpredictable, "You're a good kid, your father must be proud of you."

"Excuse me!" Jason opposed, while the boy took my compliment gratefully.

My upbeat mood dropped to the ground with his tone of rivalry, and I did not like that. "Come on, it's not like you want that compliment. Let the boy have it."

He mumbled under his breath and faded away quietly.

We returned home, and it was certain that the boy was staying with Jason for the night at least. We parted ways to our own space, and I was thrilled, remembering about the game tomorrow after seeing the flyer on my table.

* * *

I got on an Uber. The driver dropped me off at the arena after the twenty-minute ride. It was not that far away, just Gotham's traffic jam.

The newly opened place did not look that bad as eight, stacked, orange shipping-containers, just horrendous as an entrance building. Anyhow, the large, fancy field that was full of obstacles made up for it.

I signed up for the game, and I was the fifth player of the twenty. They let me chose one equipment for free, and I chose the TIPX. I was not sure if it works that well, or not, but it looked a pistol which I was comfortable with and I was the cheap-ass that did not want to spend more money on an upgrade for the game. Although I had to pay for the magazines, it was not that expensive.

Upon entering the field, they lent me the vest gloves, and helmet. Like I mentioned before, it was spacious and well-designed unlike the shipping-containers. It had multiple barrages scattered across the ground within the barricade. There was also a watching box and a large screen mounted to the building, showing the score and number of players remaining. The rules were on a repeated slideshow on the screen as well, and they were the usual: no shooting in the head, or blind fire, and etc.

While waiting for the other players to arrive, I got to have some friendly conversations with my opponents. Many of them played paintball regularly, and one of them was obsessed. I doubt I would win, but I was just there for fun after all.

Soon, there was a long line staking up behind the door, but only fifteen of them were accepted. They all looked familiar to their equipments, including the last player who was shockingly Jason.

"Aww, man! I'm not going to win this game. He even paid more for the semi-auto rifle," I mumbled.

"Oh, why are you here?" he started.

"Three," I heard it from the speaker, but I did not pay them much attention.

"No, why are you here? Where is Damian?" I countered.

"You dropped the flyer. Damian is up there."

"Two!" Another loud noise was made as I looked up at the seat in the box. Damian was really there. Good lord, the billionaire boy had not been lost.

"One!" the announcer warned.

"Do you know why they're counting down?" I asked him, looking around to see no one but us in the middle of the field.

"It's probably... Duck!" he exclaimed when I heard a 'Go!'.

Shit, the game started.

Most of them were aiming at us in the middle of the field. Our guns were loaded fortunately, and we were able to dodge the pellets by hiding behind the tanks with that duck.

Then, he got six of them behind the prompt wall in split seconds, while I got three out from the other side. By that time, I had to replace the empty magazine with another one.

"A hitman?" I dabbled around his job when I had the chance to.

Meanwhile I waited for his answer, I aimed for three more, got them, but it took a couple shots. The aiming really did help me with the game, but the feeling was not exactly the same.

"Sort of, but not really," he answered, taking three more down and giving us a way out of the fire range.

We split away from each other, hoping that the other got shot, so we did not have to take each other down. I caught another one off guard and heard two more shots made from across the stadium. I checked board and found three players left. I really wished one of us was not him.

Suddenly, there shadow was over casting me. I swiftly pointed the gun at their chest. Why would they even come in this close?

"So there's two of us and a random guy?" he stated, backing away.

"Oh, dammit!" I snarled, without lowering the gun.

"Ain't backing down, ain't ya?" he commented, having his rifle at my chest.

I shook my head.

"Well, any last words?"

"Heh, no, but you'll need it, Jason."

"Oh, yeah, I'll need it... Or, not. Love you 'till death do us part, Andrea," he friendly flirted, "but I'm winning this game. I got a bet that needs to be fulfilled."

"Well, I love you, too, Jason, but whatever you need to fulfill, I'm just saying, I'm letting you win today," I friendly replied, shooting the last player behind him, and emptied all my mag. "I guess, this will be the time you shoot me... just don't get it all over my clothes."

"You can just give up, y'know, so I don't have to waste the ammo."

"What's the fun, if I'm going to leave this place empty-handed anyway? Just shoot me."

"If you insisted, I'll make it quick. In three?"

I nodded.

Then, he said, "Three," and shot me without any other warning counts.

"What the hell, Jason! You didn't even say 'On-"

A loud 'beep' cut me off with an announcement about his victory.

I rolled my eyes and left the field to return the pistol and all the other equipment at the front desk. My chest felt a little tingly from the close-range shot, but I knew part of it was because I was competitive and felt a little irked for losing. However, I was an adult, I knew not to have tantrums for no good reason and I would not. I made the decision when I shot the person behind him.

I waited for him to finish the photoshoot and collect the rewards. I doubt, he would come back with the membership though. I approached him, telling myself that I was just there for fun and not the competition, and smiled with a light touch on his shoulder.

"Oh, there you are! Where you've been?"

"Returning the stuff. Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah! C'mon, Roomie," he invited with a hand gesture. "We're taking photos together."

"What? Why?"

"The real question is why not? They're printing us one anyway," he pulled me into the backdrop.

And, I went along with it.

"So how should we do this? Serious?"

"Professional."

"Alright!" He brought out the trophy and turned to the cameraman, telling them, "Guys, get ready for this shot." He got down on one knee and held the trophy as if it was a ring.

I had to turn away overwhelmingly in laughter, realizing what he did. "Oh, my God!"

He wheezed, holding himself with a hand on his chest.

"What the fuck, Jason!" I giggled, resting my hand on his shoulder to support myself.

"I know, right!" he laughed too, putting the trophy down.

"Pro-pose?!"

"Imma genius!"

"Are you shitting with me?! You're such a dork! I love you so much!"

Suddenly, it was quite. He was astounded, but I had no idea why.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook out of it and answered, "Umm, no." He stood up with a rub on his nose and his ears redden.

"Really? I don't read people a lot, but you're kind of obvious when you lie."

"Yeah?" he fast walked in front of me to the cashier.

"Mm-hmm," I sounded with an apology. I did not know he would have this effect when I called him dork. Old scar, maybe?

I followed behind him and met the boy on his way out of the watching box. "Hey, Damian," I greeted.

"Hi!" he replied with a business smile. "You did well on the field."

"Oh, thanks! That's very nice of you."

"But, you could have shot him," he said displeasingly.

"Yeah, but I was down to the last bullet. It was either him, or the other guy."

He nodded; although, he did not say anything afterwards, while we were waiting for Jason to finish up whatever he was doing at the counter.

Once he was done, Jason came to me and asked, "Can I have a word with you?"

It was too serious and formal than I was comfortable with, but I nodded anyway.

He brought me outside to the far corner of the building. He took a deep breath like a surgeon who just came out of the operation room with a bad news and began, "I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry, too. But, please go first," I lightened it up by interrupting the series of gloomy atmosphere.

"Mm-hmm, okay. I was going to say... I'm sorry, we can't be together."

"... You're asking me to leave the apartment?"

"No, no, but if you have to, then it's fine... We just can't be 'together' together. You know, 'bout my work and all, I can't do that to you. We can't be a couple!"

I listened but still was not sure where he was going with the topic, so my response was, "Of course not, we're roommates! It's mutual."

"What?"

"What?"

"What about the thing you said earlier?"

"Oh, that! I was going to apologize for calling you a dork. I didn't mean for it to be hurtful."

"No, that I don't care. I mean, after that."

"Umm... that I said I love you?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I love you. You're like the best friend I've ever had! (The only friend I know here!) Of course, I love you!"

"Ooohhh! Now, I get it. I thought you were sad because I can't return your feelings, but it was because you thought I didn't like being called a dork."

"Hmm, I see, you don't love me like I do," I looked away, "Okay-"

"Oh, c'mon, Boo-boo, I love you, too!" he comforted, "Let's hug it out."

It was the first time we hugged, but somehow, I was having déjà vu. It was recently but with who? I could not put a face to it.

After a moment with everything cleared up, I puzzled, "So... since you're already here, can I hitch a ride home?"

"Sure," he replied.

"Thanks."

We went back into the building for the boy and the printed picture. However, he would not show me which photo he picked. It was not like I would not see it sooner, or later. We lived in the same place for God's sake! But, he was too stubborn.

When we came out of the arena, there the last two motorcycle stranded. There was two so Damian must have brought the other one, but was he not underage?

"Is it even legal for you to bike, Damian?" I wondered at last.

"I know how," he dodged the answer.

"So I let him," Jason supported.

"Wow, I've never thought of you as an easy going brother."

"He already got an overprotective one," he stated, getting on the red motorbike.

"Hmm," I stood next to the black one with the pillion seat. Ducati had one too, but it was not as comfortable. I reached my hand out and waited for the key from the boy.

"I'll drive," he said.

"No, I'll drive. You're underage."

"I drove here."

"I'm not your brother, and you don't have any license. So, no. I'm not risking my life with a fifteen-year-old, or let them risk their own."

"Sixteen," he corrected me.

"Okay, sixteen. Then, get your own license first that could let you drive in the city before driving."

He stared at me, not giving up.

"Alright, if you have a driving license with you, then show me and sure you can drive... But from what I can see, you don't even have a wallet with you," I continued with facts.

It took him a long moment to sigh in defeat before he gave me the key.

"Good boy," I smiled and patted his head, which he did not seem content.

He brushed my hand off and made an audio sound of displeased, "TT."

Still adorable for a rich kid. I took the key, put on the helmet, and started the engine after he positioned himself on the pillion.

"Are we good?" Jason quizzed, starting his engine.

I nodded, and we headed home.

We separated to our rooms once we arrived, but we came together for dinner, before he left the house with the boy. I did not ask where they were going, I figured it was their family business.

Then around a couple hours later, I prepared myself to bed. I had checked that the front door was locked and went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth. There was no one home, so I hummed a song I made until I heard a loud collapse on the floor. I finished up and peeked through the slightly opened door.

The large window-door to the balcony was opened, and my hair stood up to the coldness and the smell of oxidized iron. I pulled the gun out of its hiding place and stepped around the room with my back more toward the wall than not. I was ready to pull the trigger, if someone jump-scared me...

"Jesus, this is going to be ridiculously bloody."


	11. Chapter 11

I dropped the gun, comprehending the scene of two, male, soon-to-be-corpses. Well, they would turn to corpses anytime soon, if I did not give them a hand.

I reached to my phone to call nine-one-one for this, I might call, shit-tuation, but then, I remembered that they were the Dark Knights of Gotham: Red Hood who was still not on the same page with the police, and Robin who was, well, a vigilante. Indeed, it was an odd combination of the Bat's family, but they were in front of me with their blood on my apartment floor.

What the hell should I do? Was there an emergency call for them? Would Jason know the number, he was a Gothamite after all?

I tried calling him first, but there was no answer. Meanwhile, I kept checking up on them in attempts to wake one of them up, knowing that the time was ticking down to zero, and after a deliberate moment of thinking, I made a decision.

The hell with it, the blood was not going to stop itself.

I put down the phone and brought out the largest emergency kit. I cleaned my hands and broke the seal. I started with Robin first since he was laying on his back with a long, shallow cut across it, and judging by their ages and trainings, Red Hood should survive with no treatment well enough.

I checked the boy once more for additional injuries after his pulse, but that was it, nothing on his limbs, which was good. I took off his cape and cut the armor open with the scissors from the kit. I was surprised that it worked, but there was no time for amazement.

From what I examined, he had no signs of internal bleeding, but I was no doctor. However, for now, I knew I had to stop the bleeding, clean the cut, and stitch it close with the crash-course I got from Jason yesterday with the boy and his arm. And, I did it.

Then, I noticed the familiar stitching on Robin's arm. I gasped, but I kept my mind blank, keeping myself from revealing what I might have discovered. I quickly shifted my attention to the man.

I did the same to him as to the kid, but he got more cuts and some were stab wounds. How come he was worse than him, while he was built like a tank? It almost seemed like he was in between the harms and the kid.

Suddenly, his helmet started buzzing and shut down, and with its last moments, the shield opened up for air ventilation.

"Holy Mary Mother of God! Don't you dare think of connecting the dots, Andy! What was seen cannot be unseen, but what you are thinking, make sure you do not want to un-think it in the future. I know I don't want to know it, so stop thinking!" I lectured myself after I turned my face away, but I already caught a glimpse of the white streak anyone could have. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

I kept my eyes low and finished the stitching. Once it was done and assured that no one was going to die, I cleaned up the space and moved Robin to the couch with some blankets. Although, it took me some time to actually make myself look at Hood. He had his domino on which totally did not reflect how paranoid he was, but seriously, it did not help. The bed head was too obvious. However, I still could not admit that I knew who he was.

Later after I sanitized the area they used to be, I made an attempt to move Hood, but he was too fucking heavy I gave up. It was also almost one in the morning, so my strength might have been used-up.

I crossed my legs on the floor near them in case one of them stopped breathing and recalled what I had done... I just sewed two vigilante at my apartment in the most bloodied form I had ever seen back together.

What a normal Tuesday's night? Except, nothing was normal. What the hell did I even do in the last couple hours?!

I sighed and glanced to my side. I felt kind of bad for leaving him on the hard, wooden floor, and the helmet did not look so comfortable. I took off his helmet and replaced it with a pillow and blankets. Not until then, did I notice the cut on his forehead.

Oh, dammit! I should not have been worried about myself to what I might find out! I should have checked!

I brought out another tiny, first aid vacuum sealed bag and patched the wound up as well. I checked once more around his head, but that seemed to wake him up.

"Andrea?" he grumbled, reaching for something.

I grabbed his hand and moved closer, so he could rest on my lap. "Yes?"

With his eyes closed again, he puzzled, "The kid?"

I looked over before I answered, "He's alive."

He nodded and winched in pain.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I don't know how to use anesthesia, so I didn't want to take the risk."

He shook his head and told me, "It's fine."

"I think you need a better check up. Is there someone I can call?"

"Lee Thompkins."

She was a famous figure in the medical field, but I only heard her name once, or twice, because I spent much more time on the business side. Although, I did know exactly where she was because of her charity clinic at Crime Alley which caused a huge impact on both the medical and business fields.

I was about to leave to find her in the middle of the night, but he held me back, "It's already late."

"But, you need to get checked. I don't know, if you have any internal bleeding, or not. I'm not a doctor. You're not okay," I insisted.

"No, no. I've been worse. I know what's it like to die. Believe me, this is not it. Just... stay with me," his voice softened with a gentle grip on my hand.

"... That's exactly what a dying person would say," I added.

He snickered lightly, ignoring what I said, and kissed my hand before he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

I jolted to the sound of my alarm. I swiftly shut it off, feared that it would wake the two guests up. Although, his eyes were already wide opened when I looked down at my lap.

"Hey... So," he began, "you know who I a-."

"No. Nope. No. Never. I have no idea who you are. Or, who the kid is. Nope, no idea," I blabbered.

"Sounds like denial," he smirked.

"Oh, it is, alright, but you're not going to have any say in this. Do you know how stressed out I was last night?!"

"Well," he slowly sat up and checked out the stitches, "you did a damn good job."

"Hell, no! You got to go to the doctor. Come on, get up," I said, standing up.

"It's too early-."

The door bell interrupted him.

I looked sternly at him before I turned on the lobby camera on the T.V., and there was a man dressed in black tuxedo.

Holy shit! Was this something like 'Men in Black' crap? Was he coming to delete my memories?! Oh, my God! Yes, that would be great! I would like to forget whatever that happened last night!

I clicked on the microphone to answer his ring, "Hello! This is Andrea. How can I help you?"

"Good morning, Miss Albertsons! My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I am here to escort Master Damian home. I hope he had not done anything that troubles you."

"Oh, Damian? No, no, he's a good kid, but he's not here right n-," Jason muffled my voice and took over the conversation... Wait, did I just... No. That was Hood. Yes, Hood. Not, Jason. Not, Jason!

"Hey, Alf. It's me. The kid's here. I'm buzzing you in right now."

Oh, jolly! The man in tux was coming up. Please just make me forget. This was probably as much as I could handle for the day.

The man arrived. He exchanged some words with Hood quietly and took the kid with him, but what about my memories, he should have taken it too! He did not!

Now, there was only the two of us left in the apartment. And, why was I still standing near the exit after the man in tux left and twitching my thumbs around like an idiot with nothing to do? I had plenty to do, I just could not think of any at the moment!

Suddenly, he seized my trembling hands and I was brought back to the moment. "He looks like he's still out of it. Is he going to be alright, and how come you're fine when you're even worse?" I blurted about the boy and him in case he asked about me.

"There was poison on the blade," he calmly answered.

"Poison?! Why you didn't tell me earlier?!"

"Because there's nothing to worry about. We're all immune to it. He just needs some time to recover."

I paused, wrapping my head around it.

"Are you okay?" he eventually asked the question I did not want to answer.

A drop of tear rolled down my face and I quickly wiped it away. Shit, now, he was going to be worried for no reason. Or was there actually a legit reason and I just did not want to face it?

He pulled me in his arms and gave me the warmth, I did not know I needed. He squeezed me a little and apologized, "I didn't mean to put you though these shit."

"I-I know. I-I'm fine. Really. I was just stressed out," I reassured him and hugged him back.

"You're sure?" he loosened the hug to look at me with concerning eyes which I could not see because of the mask; although, it was the thoughts that counted.

"Yeah!" I answered, "I just need some time to... you know, process everything. Like all the blood I saw last night, your face, and all the wounds I stitched. Yeah, everything... at work though. Not here, not near you. No offense."

Upon hearing my reply, he stepped away from the hug and almost flew two meters away from me. "None taken. It's totally understandable," he said.

I smiled at his supporting overreaction to not be near him, but honestly, I was not sure if he was just being sarcastic. Well, if it was really the overreaction, that was cute.

Then before I went to change, he uttered, "Umm, are you... Never mind."

When I came out of my room, he was watching me from the seat furthest away from me, so I asked, "Is there something you want to say?"

"... No, nothing."

I was about to leave and I still felt his stare from a far. I turned to him and he looked away, as if he was accepting that he might not see me again.

"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll be back and I better see a prescription and a doctor's note from Doctor Thompkins when I'm home."

He pouted at me, but he seemed to be more at ease when he looked away again with a small smile on his face.

* * *

Two days later at around the time I usually got back from work, Jason was preparing himself to leave for his job. He also brought me the prescription and Doctor Thompkins' note a while ago, so I was not worried sick that Hood was dying. It may seem confusing to why I was mentioning about these two people as separated two human beings, but actually it was quite simple, it was because they were. (And, not because I was in denial. Not at all.)

"Hey! How are you?" I greeted from the comfortable couch at the man walking behind me.

"Better. You?"

"Pretty good."

"Hmm," he nodded and walked around the furniture to the empty seat.

It was kind of weird for me to see him move forty-percent slower than his normal pace, but I guessed it was normal for someone trying to recover. Not that I knew he was hurt, or the time interval that coincidentally matched the Red Hood.

"Umm... I'm not trying to rush you or anything, but how are you processing things?"

"Well, I have sufficient information to put two-to-two together. I just haven't done that."

He chuckled, "Man, you're one tough nut to crack."

"I-," I uttered, but then I noticed the stain on the back of his T-shirt. I crawled closer to inspect it and interrogated, "What did you do? Why are you bleeding again?"

"Err," he sounded with his up-to-no-good smile, buying himself time to come up with some excuses.

"You know what, I don't care. Take your shirt off."

"Heh, I really wish you're saying that in a different situation."

"Take it off, Jason," I gave him a stern look.

He tried to fight back with the lengthy staring contest but lost, "Oh, my God! You're so pushy."

He took off his shirt and there was a solid number of ten stitches torn across the cut on his back.

I sighed and went to get the kit. I did not complain. I did not ask more about it. I just did what had to be done to disinfect the wounds and hoped he would take care of himself more.

Then, I finally finished changing all the dressings and the last patch on his forehand. I looked down at him from where I stand and he reminded me of the floor coated with blood.

I reached my hand around his neck and rest my forehead against his to ground myself to the reality that he was still alive.

I had been in denial, but I always knew the reason why. I did not want to accept that he was the Red Hood because if I did, then the blood was his. I...

"I don't want to lose you," I admitted it.

"You mean me, or the guy in red?"

"It's you, dumbass. It's always been you."

"Then, say my name," he whispered.

"Jason. Your name is Jas-."

He kissed me and I kissed him back. It was sweet. It was soothing. It was assuring and it was just right. I wanted the moment to go on forever, but I knew better that there was no way the comfort would last.

I pulled away after the reality hit and explained, "I'm sorry. I need a moment. I think we both need a moment... to think it through. To think this through."

"... You're right. I've been down this road before. I'm just gonna put you in harm's way."

"That's not really my concern. I'm sure I can take care of myself and you probably know it-."

"Then, why not?"

"I-I don't know. I-I mean I know, but I don't know how to tell you."

He stayed silent to keep me go on.

"You're like... my _dad_. He went off on a mission and I've never seen him since. I hate that I don't know if he's alive, or dead. I told myself I didn't care and shut it away, but it will always be there... I don't know, if I can bear with that when you're gone too."

He turned away with a heavy sigh. He probably was just half-listening to what I poured at him anyway. He stood up like he was about to leave, but I was wrong.

He embraced me and softly whispered with his calming voice, "Thank you for telling me that. I wouldn't have known how much it will hurt you. I don't want to put you through that either."

I was shivering when I backed away from him, but I could not stay longer in that comforting warmth. I would not be able to get away if I stayed. I grabbed my phone and ran to my room.

I quickly dialed a number and every time I heard the waiting buzz, it made me more anxious.

"Hello?" she picked up at last.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Dar-."

"Is Dad alive?" I blurted.

"Andy... I really don't know, Dear. Is something wrong?"

"Then, how do you deal with it? Not knowing?"

"Well, that's the only thing I don't know... I know he used to take you to the swing. I know you loved it. I know he sneaked three cookies into your lunch bag and I know you both thought you were so sneaky. I know he loves us and I know I love both of you. I know so many things about us, Andy. Knowing that he's dead or alive won't change that."

"But, that's the past. What about the future?"

"First, they're not the past. They're memories, they're present. No matter what you do in the past, it is part of you right now. And the future? Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but your life-plans are just accidentally as planned. Not everything will go the way you want to, and it seems like you hit something to ask me about this."

Her answer was oddly sufficient and true. It cooled me down, but I still had one more question, "Oh, my God! Mom, what do I do?"

"Well, you know my life motto."

"'Make your best memories in the present, so you will have a past to look forward to in the future.'" we recited in unison.

"Argh, you could've made it more confusing!"

"Chill, my child. It's just an extended version of 'live in the moment', see?"

"Nope."

"... So, is there something wrong?"

"Nothing much."

"Oh, I see... So, your hot roommate is an undercover and you're falling for him. Now, you're afraid he will just never come back like your dad."

"I'm not afraid. I just don't like not knowing."

"Oh, so... what?! You're telling me the most bizarre scenario I came up so you'll correct me and tell me more is actually real?!"

"Well... yes in a way."

"Oh, my God! I knew it!"

"You knew... what?"

"He's an undercover! Remember when your dad thought I was evil and tried to investigate me as my secretary. My goodness, those good time. I-."

"Mom, no. One more time and I'll cringe to death."

"Fine... So, how are you holding up?"

"I'm feeling better."

"Okay, that's good... One question: is this mutual?"

"I-I don't know. I guess, yes? But why would he?"

"You should ask him."

"If it's that easy, I would've already know it."

"Try it, Andy. Not everything is self-evident. And the reason I asked is because I just want to make sure you've already explored people around you... and you're not only hooking up with him because he's convenient. It's not good for a long run as roommates."

"Mm-hmm," I took some mental notes, "I'll think about it. Thanks, Mom."

"No problem. I'll always be there when you need me. Love you, Andy."

"Love you, too."

I hung up and let a deep, long sigh escaped me.

* * *

The next morning, I saw him coming back home when I was going to work, but he just nodded and faked a smile before he disappeared into his room. I tried to ignore it and finish my food, so I could go to work. Although, I caught myself staring at his door and waiting for it to open. Honestly, it sucked to have breakfast alone.

Later the same day after work, I returned home and did my usual things, except turning on the T.V. at dinner. I was kind of hoping he thought I was not at the common space and came out. It took me a couple hours, but he showed up.

He startled when he saw me in the dark and he quickly retreated to his shell.

"Wait, Jason!" I stopped him before he was actually gone.

He responded over his shoulder, "Hmm?"

It was dark, so I was not sure if he was smiling or not. But, the fake liveliness in his voice did stung my chest like a bee. No, it could be a fucking wasp.

"I think we should talk," I initiated, pacing to him.

"I don't think so. Just leave it. It's fine," he responded nonchalantly.

"But, it's not."

"Is it though? I think it should've been like this from the start."

I really did not know what to use against what he said.

"This is all you gotta say, right?"

He was leaving and nothing had been settled yet. I needed an excuse. I grabbed his wrist and said, "Your dressings. Let me help you change them."

He hesitated but gave in, "Sure."

I swiftly grabbed a kit before he changed his mind and got on it. I wanted to make us the same at least. What should I d-?

"Ow!"

"Oh, my God! I'm sorry! Are you okay? Does it still hurt? I'm so sorry! I-."

"Woah, calm down. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Just get it done and over with."

"But...," I discontinued and returned to what I was doing.

"But, what?" he buzzed.

"Nothing," I murmured, understanding that he was probably already annoyed of me.

"Like hell I'll believe, it's nothing. If you don't want to do this, just don't do it. You not obligated to do this. You don't have to help me and I'm fine with that."

"No! It's not about that! I want to help! Just... you've been ignoring me. This is the only thing that I can think of to get to talk to you like this. I don't want it to be over and I don't know if I'm pushing it too far. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I just want us to be the same."

"The same? I don't think so, Lady."

"I know what I said last night was not the best thing to say, but I-."

"Andrea," he sighed. "You don't have to give me any excuses. I know a sign when I see one. You were shivering when you left me. You're afraid and I understand. We don't have to talk about it."

I waited for him to finish before I opposed, "I wasn't afraid. I was just not ready for it. Now, I am and I've thought about it long enough. And, thank you for understanding. You're very sweet, but-."

He cut in with a heavy sigh.

He did not say anything, so I continued, "I'm sorry. Pardon the irony, but until I know how to deal with not knowing, I not sure how's going to be between us. But, I really do cherish you, so can we stay friends?"

He shook his head and commented, "I knew that was coming, but damn, being friend-zoned always got me."

"I mean, if you're okay with it. It's already very selfish of me to ask you to get over me, while I'm your roommate. Asking you to be my friend is just worse, but even only today that we didn't talk, I already miss your company. Although, by all means, I'll try to be a total stranger if you want me to-."

"I'm okay with it. Just, y'know, this pretty face has never really got turned down cold like this... Actually, you know what, let's forget whatever happened last night. It doesn't matter at all if we're just gonna be the same and honestly, I miss talking to you, too," he admitted with a genuine smile.

I rushed to hug him out of relieve and he reassured me by hugging me back.

"But," he continued, "this won't change the fact that I might not be back one day."

"I know, but I rather use the time with you now to make memories than wasting it by ignoring you and regret it later."

"Hmm," he agreed and hold me a little tighter.

* * *

Everything went back to usual: meeting, greeting, chatting and smiling every time we were home. I was grateful to have him around me. Until three days later, he brought a girl home.

A tall, blonde girl with a very athletic physique walked through the door in his arm. I was siting behind the bar table perpendicular to the door, so she might not have noticed me yet when she cartwheeled into the living room. She seemed light-headed and goofy in an adorable way, but she did not take off her purple, platform heels. I turned to see how he reacted since it could tell me a lot about their relationship.

"You insolent child! Has Alfred not taught you any manners?!" he scolded her as he closed the door.

Well, seemed like anything associated with lover was off the list and if they were talking about the same Alfred I had in mind who was in tux, then they were likely working together. I was kind of relieved, but... why was I?

She turned around with a dramatic hair flip and hissed, "I'm gonna tell _Mom_ you said that and what's wrong with shoes, I always walk around the Manor like this."

"This is not the Manor. My house. My rules."

"Y'know, yer more like the Old Man everyday," she asserted, taking off her shoes.

"Whatever gets the job done, Steph."

"Yeah, yeah," she shook her head around obnoxiously and eventually spotted me.

He did as well and greeted me after the little scene, "Hey, Andrea! Sorry, I didn't tell you she's coming. She's been nagging me for the whole evening!"

"It's fine-," I paused when she suddenly seized me hands.

"Oh my God, Jay! How long have you been keeping her from us? She's gorgeous!"

"Umm, thank you," I smiled at her confusingly and introduced myself, "My name is Andrea. You?"

"Oh, where's my manner! I'm Stephanie," she lit up like a puff of happiness. "How long have you guys been together?!"

I choked a little and Jason had to clear his throat all of sudden from afar.

"You guys... aren't together. What-why? Jason?"

I pulled her back, "We're roommates. He used my name to cover his safe house, but it doesn't seem to work anymore."

"Well, my location was given away since that little brat made the insane door-to-door investigation to find me. But before that, this was like the safest, safe house I've ever had. Like literally, no one knew where I was because there was no fake names to go around."

"Wait... safe house. She knows?!"

"It was unintentional. He was dying," I excused.

"Meh, he's fine. He died before."

"... He died before? I've been wondering, is this some type of running joke?"

"Nope. You haven't seen his death certificate?"

"No. Why would I see that? He's very well alive!"

"How come she hasn't seen it?"

"I only got the ashes. Alf burnt the original when I turn myself legally alive... He was pretty pissed," he elaborated, settling on the nearest bar stool from the entry.

"Pretty much everyone was. But, now, she's also never gonna believe you were dead. That's double the sin."

"Fair enough," he shrugged and pulled out a book.

"So," I interrupted, "it's just a thing that he died. A common knowledge?"

"Yeah. Kinda. It's depressing tho, and I'm actually here to get him to the gala."

"Gala?"

"You didn't say anything about that when we were downstairs," he quickly put his book down.

"If I did, will you let me up here?"

"No."

"My point exactly, and here's the invitation."

"Keep it, I'm not going," he murmured and returned to whatever he was reading.

"Thought so.- What about you, Andrea? Do you wanna come?"

"Oh, me?" I gave it a thought and figured there would be many famous attendants. It should not hurt to put myself out for better job position. "Sure, thanks!"

She gave me the envelope. "So, I'll see you there?"

I looked over to Jason in case he would oppose it, but he did not. So, it settled, "Yes, of course."

"Great! Now," she paused and walked behind me to the kitchen. She took a loaf of bread and a jar of jam and begged, "Jay, my man, my amigo, my brother from another mother, I know this is all I asked for, but can I also have some eggs? I'm starving."

"Those aren't mine and why are you starving? How's Cass even living with you?" he mentioned a name I was not familiar of at all, but I guessed, it was none of my business.

"I thought it's better not to tell Alfred where we live, and now, we just found out that the fridge doesn't refill itself."

"Serve you. And how's it easier to get it from me?"

"Well, we kinda went off budget this month since it's our first time there. Y'know, shoppings."

"Are you sure that's a 'we'?"

"Alright, it's my fault okay?! I'm going to get them all refunded tomorrow."

"You could just make Timbo to get you a card. Are you out of blackmailing source? I got some left, if you need it," he referred to anther unknown person.

"Nah, I'm over that. Imma be ma own person and Imma take responsibility of ma own life."

"Okay. Sure," he uttered, not in a very optimistic way.

"Watch me!" she growled at him.

She was on her way out when I stopped her, "Wait, Stephenie! I'm just going to assume you're like him, and I feel like you guys should be more appreciated for helping around the city. And not anyone can do everything at the same time, am I right? Take some eggs with you, I don't mind."

"Oh, my God! Thank you! You should come a live with us! We'd be the Dynamic Trios!"

I chuckled at her plan, but before I decline, he cut in.

"Er, no. She's with me."

"Er, no. She can choose."

"Er, yes, I can choose, but I will have to decline your offer. I like it here and the view isn't bad," I explained with my lips twisted at him before I leaned in to her and whispered, "And if I'm not here, then who's going to watch over him."

She smirked at me and gave me a hug. "Alright, fine. I'll see you later!"

"Yes, you will. Bye!"

"And, watch me, Jay," she demanded, pointing at her eyes then his before leaving.

He chuckled at her after she left the room and ambled toward me. "So, how much do I owe you?" he buzzed.

"They're just eggs. It's fine," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nah, it feels wrong."

"How about you owe me a favor?"

"Sure, not a problem," he agreed, "and what did you say to her? I couldn't read your lips from this angle."

"You weren't supposed to. That's why I choose the angle."

"Oh, you cheeky monkey! Tell me, what was it about?"

"No," I smirked.

"Really?" he challenged with his hands creeping to me.

"Yes, and what are you doi- Aaaahhahah!"

He started tickling me around the waist to force the words out of me. I tried to push him away, but I was loosing my strength to do it.

At my last straw, I retrained all my strength and shouted, "Alright, alright! I give up!"

"You shouldn't have resisted," he snickered, wrapping his arms around me.

"Yeah," I panted, cooling myself down. My heartbeat was coming to normal, but then with all cooling I was putting myself through, his hands on my clothed back had become intensely hot. Actually, every part of me that touched him was and I wanted to feel the heat on my bare skin. Although, I knew I should not and I slowly backed out of it to confess, "I told her nothing."

"No way! You wouldn't guard it so much, if it was nothing."

"Take it, or leave it. It doesn't matter. Why do you even want to know?"

"You were acting all mysterious and I was suspicious."

"You should tone that down because it really was nothing. I just wanted to be mysterious and you know how that back fired," I deflected the question successfully.

"I guess."

Now, I needed a new subject, so I shifted my attention to the envelope. We only had a minute until I had to go to work, but I believed it would be a perfect time gap to make a deal and seal it quickly. "Now, remember the favor you owe me... I'll need you for this," I showed him the invitation with his name written in large, golden print.

"It's not like they'll I.D. you."

"Probably not, but the son of the host? Maybe they should at least recognize I'm not him."

"Say you're there on my be-half."

"Well, it doesn't really matter. The favor you're going to do for me is, to come with me," I stated, picking up my purse and binder.

"Seriously! For two eggs?!"

"Four, actually," I corrected, leaving the apartment. "I'll see you later," I bid with a smile and he rolled his eyes.

* * *

After it was semi-agreed that he was coming with me to the event, I went to work like usual and I also came back home excited like the past few days as well.

Why? Well, he was telling me about how he acquired the knifes he threaten to kill me with a while ago. I was dying to know about them forever and now I got to! And, it was quite fun actually, listening to his stories. Sometimes he might sound a little out of it about the setting, but I did not even try to fact check them. It was wild.

"So," I began, laying my head on his lap when it was my story time, "what's with the time you got the (555) 733-2773 business?"

He wheezed, "You're not gonna get over this, ain't ya?"

"I mean, Red-Arse on a huge billboard went pretty viral for some time and it's pretty hard to get rid of it in my system."

"Well, I wasn't the one who emptied the bank account for that."

"So, Arsenal did?"

He chuckled, remembering his pleasant memories, "Yeah, he's kind of an idiot."

"Well, considering how long you've been together, he couldn't be that bad, right?"

"Course not, he's a genius. Well, now that I think about it, he's more like the fine line between genius and madness. You won't believe me how many times he brought fire into an enclosed space."

"How many?" I encouraged.

"Too many that he burnt the whole apartment down once... Those were the days."

"Hmm... You miss him? You sound like you miss him."

"I mean, yeah, we've been friends for years, but I haven't seen him for a while."

"Oh, why not?"

"It's a long story."

"I got all night."

"Alright, sure. I gotta go in a couple hours tho. The kids are waiting."

"Mm-hmm."

"Well... y'know, it used to be 'bros before hoes' and... you know the drill."

"Love triangle drama?!"

"Er, no."

"Oh. You ditched him."

"No, I didn't! Why would you go straight to me? I'm bad, but not _that_ bad!"

"Okay, so he did then?"

"Not entirely."

"... What? So what's the point of it being a cliché for me to know the drill?"

"He... got her preggers, so now it's more like 'bows before bros'. What can I do?" he shrugged.

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"About the rhymes. I wasn't sure if it's a pun because he uses bows and arrows or he has a girl."

"I think, considering how brilliant I am at... everything, it's both."

"Aw, he got a girl!"

"Are you just gonna ignore the fact that my rhymes are perfect?!"

"What's her name?"

He stared down at me disappointedly for ignoring it before he answered, "Lian."

"Aw, what a cute name! How old is she now?"

"I think she's going to be five."

"Aw, that's perfect! Can I see her photo?"

"... Sure."

I took his phone when he handed it to me and smiled in awe. "She's adorable!" I muttered, scrolling down her pictures, and nuzzled closer to him.

I took a glance at him after I noticed that I had been smiling all the time and he buzzed, "Are you okay? You're acting kinda odd."

"Oh, I'm totally fine. Just some baby fever."

"Baby fever?"

"Yeah, one of my coworkers just has a baby and they brought them to work today. Now, I can't get rid of the fuzziness."

"Hmm. Let me see, too."

I shuffled a little to sit on his lap, so we could share the screen. With every swipe, her picture was getting younger and younger until we hit the last one when she was a baby.

Out of the blue, I blurted, "I want a baby."

"Me, too."

I did not even take account of his words at first. I did not think any of us did, but just to make it crystal clear to myself, I added, "I mean, not with you."

"No, course not. Not now either," he quickly came to realize it as well.

"Yeah, some time in the future."

"Mm-hmm."

"Yeah..."

"... I think I should go."

"Okay... Sorry about the uncomfortable trip to that subject."

"Don't be, it's fine. I think our kids will look gorgeous either way... I mean, your kid and my kid."

"With the right partners, I agree."

"Yup... Alright, I'll see you later."

"Mm-hmm. See you later!"

He nodded and closed the door. I listened carefully until the elevator door closed and screamed internally.

Oh, fuck! He was too convenient! How did we even come about to babies?! Oh, my God! At this rate, we could be hooking up in days! And, no! That should not happen!

But... why not? Why did I have this feelings in my gut that it would be a bad idea? Because it probably was? He was an outlaw after all.

Oh, my God!

I pushed all the questions back behind my head and picked myself up to bed. What was I thinking?

* * *

It was around 3AM when a knock on the door woke me up. I ambled to the door and greeted, "Hey, what's up?"

He smiled and stepped into my room with his hands running up and down my back. "Nothing much. I've just been think-."

"Can you save that? It's 3AM. Some people got to sleep, you know."

"Yeah, but it's only seven."

"What-how? It's dark."

"It's 7PM."

"Wha-what's happening? It was three awhile ago."

"I don't know. You tell me."

"You know what, it doesn't matter. What do you want to talk about?"

"About something you and I can make together," he whispered to my ear.

Suddenly, we were on my bed and I was in between his arms. "What is it?" I sheepishly asked.

"A baby?"

"Yes!"

He smirked.

 ***Sexual content below***

He cupped my cheek and kissed me, sending the tingly sensation to my bones. I kissed him back and held him closer for his heat, while every inch of his body against mine made me eager for more. Astoundingly for once, my logic was not stopping me.

"Take your shirt off."

"Now, this's the situation I will gladly take it off," he commented and did so.

He threw it away and kissed me again before he traced down my body and unwrapped me. His large hands caressed my bare skin and his lips tempted to give me love-bites. I felt his muscles shifting to be closer and his heart beating as loud as mine.

We gradually picked up the speed and soon all my clothing was out of the way. I wrapped my arms around his neck to get another dose of him before he hit the town to make me a sloppy, wet mess.

I watched as his face sunk between my legs and knocked over when he French kissed my lady garden and rubbed my bead.

"Oh, my God!" I moaned, panting a little as well.

 ***Sexual content end***

Wait a sec... Why was I smelling bacon? That was very unrelated! And, what was all the buzzing about?

I jolt from my bed at the banging on my door and my alarm setting off. I quickly hit the noise off before it got any louder, but the knocking was still going on. I rushed out of my bed and found a small damp spot that I should cover up before I saw anyone.

I opened the door and it almost felt like a déjà vu when I saw Jason there. Seemed like, he was never in my room to begin with. Fuck!

"Morning, Sleepyhead! Thank God, you're alive! Your alarm's been going off for ten minutes! I thought you were dead!" he... complained? worried? greeted? I was not entirely awake enough to judge, but I heard 'ten minutes', that was for sure.

"Ten minutes?! Shit!" I cursed and ran to the bathroom.

I took a quick shower and slowly realized I made another mistake almost as worse as the first one: having a sex dream with my own roommate. I forgot my towel.

I peeked outside and put his name out there in case he was around, "Jason?"

There was no answer, so I thought my path was cleared. I sneaked out with my pajamas against my chest, but somehow I froze when I heard the door from his side opened. It was only for a second before I sprinted to my room, but that was obviously a second too long.

Once I was in my room, I immediately covered myself up with my work clothes very much embarrassed, but I had to walk through the common space to leave the apartment... Oh, my God! What would he be thinking right now?

I could not make myself to face him, not even when I already noticed him around the corner! Oh, my God! That was so embarrassing!

"You want breakfast?" I startled at his question.

I did not want to talk to him just yet, but it would probably be rude of me not to answer. "Umm..." I tried to decline, but then my stomach grumbled. Dammit!

He snickered and invited, "C'mon, have a seat. There's plenty for both of us."

I hesitated and checked the time in case it could be used as an excuse. Although, it did not help since I would be too early to work without breakfast. It could not be helped then. "Mm-hmm," I nodded and made my way there without looking up.

He lifted my chin up and teased, "What's wrong?"

Blood rushed to my cheek when I saw his face up close. He was too close, I had to push him away. Oh, my God! Why was I blushing like crazy?!

"Pfft!" he sounded suddenly.

I took a glance at him and he was laughing his head off. "Jason! That's just mean!" I gave him a piece of my mind.

"Where are the tomatoes? I need to compare this." He got one and laughed his head off again after matching it to my cheek.

"What's so funny?!" I begged him to stop with my tone of voice.

"Alright," he put it down and took a deep breath, "if it's gonna help, I've probably seen more naked women than you have."

I had to think about what he was implying for a second. He was probably trying to tell me that he did not give a shit and I was one of the many. But, at the same time, I could not shake off the feelings, "First, ew! Second, also ew! I didn't have to know that!"

"Well, now, you do and you should also know that I'll probably forget it in a day or two... Damn, that waist to hip ratio tho-."

"Aaaaahhhhh! I can't hear you," I plugged my ears.

Soon, his teasing smile worn off and he got back to business, "Just eat up already. Don't you have work to do?"

"Yes, I do," I answered, picking up a piece of perfectly cooked bacon on a plate of sausages and eggs. "I didn't know you cook."

"Oh, please! I'm not one of the useless bastards that will burn the kitchen by boiling water!"

"Oh, really?" I said with a tint of disbelief.

"Fine," he took the plate from me.

I quickly snatched it back, "Nnnaaahhh! I believe you. It looks good! You should cook more... How come I've never seen you cook?"

"Well, I've always seen you at the kitchen and I'm a good-enough person to know not to steal your scene when you got to have one."

I listened to his arrogant talk and had a taste of the food, so I could judge him a little more fairly if he was up to his standard... Several crunches from the one bite of the bacon later, I came to a result, "You can kick me out of the kitchen whenever you want."

He smirked victoriously, "Nah, I'm fine on clean-up duty."

"You're saying this is a one-off? Then, what's the occasion?"

"No occasion. You're pretty consistent and I didn't see you at the kitchen. So, I figure you're gonna be late if no one start making them now."

"That's very true, thanks! But, I can't help you clean up right now though."

"It's fine," he shrugged it off, picking up his glass of water.

"Man, you're a life-savor..." My eyes wandered from the glass to his arms... Damn, he was built like a tank! I wondered, if he could lift me. Oh, all the things we could do, if he could...

Oh, no. Dirty thoughts. I swiftly shoved them away from my thinking trail and told myself that he was the definition of dangerous and not someone I could just mess with.

Then, I saw him staring right at me and came to realize that I accidentally stared at him first. I promptly shifted my attention back to the food, but I already knew hell was coming with that smirk on his face.

"You're checking me out, ain't ya?" he surmised.

"... No," I shook my head; even though, I did.

"Oh, yeah."

"No, I really didn't... I just thought your shirt is a size too small."

"Yeah, whatever makes you sleep at night, Doll."

"Whatever gives you the ego boost you need, Jason," I improvised.

"Oof!" he cried, throwing his hand at his chest to exaggerate the burn.

I giggled and finished the food, before going to work.

* * *

"Fuck!" I yelled at my alarm two days later for waking me up from the similar dream I had every night since that day. I was not mad. I was grateful actually. It was getting too good and good was bad with Jason!

Goddammit! I could barely face him yesterday! Now today, too?! Just kill me already! What did I do to deserve this?! Two years of abstinence?!

... Maybe, it was! Cool! I could just hook up with someone and get rid of it... I had never hooked up before... Oh, my God! When was the last time I even dated?!

I knew I was going to die alone...

Actually, I might as well just lock myself in the room today until I could figure it out because it was my day off. Damn... Where did people go to hook up nowadays?

I remembered people talking about parties back in uni, but what were they actually? A place with lots of booze and loud music? But I hated loud music and that was part of the reason I never joined one. A place with lots of alcohol then... Umm, supermarket? Wait, people rarely socialized there though.

So... a bar? I meant, there would be alcohol and socializing people. But, did I actually want to meet any of the people? Not really...

I hurled into the blanket, second guessing myself about the decision. Hooking up never occurred to me until now, so maybe I was just stressed out? And since I was doubting about it, I guessed it was not a good idea after all...

Whatever! I could not careless about it, but I knew something that could take the edge off. One thing that all those places had in common right at my nose. Alcohol.

I peeked at the door, checking if he was home. He was not, so I ambled to the cabinet and topped up a glass with wine. Really topping it up and hoping it would take away the frustrations.

I chucked the box of wine away in the cooler and leaned against the fridge, sipping the juice and its fragrant. It was a great moment to stay in the present and stop thinking about anything until Jason made an entrance.

He saw me with a glass full of red wine and commented, "Huh, drinking before the day even start? I dig it."

I pointed at him to stop him from talking and chucked the whole thing in because I was really not ready to deal with him yet.

Although, he did not really have a pause button and continued, "You're really full of surprise, aren't you!"

"Uh-uh," I sounded and shook my finger at him, while I was trying to finish the glass.

He nodded unwillingly, but he stayed to watch me had the bottoms up. And, I did it to my surprise.

I put the glass down and gasped for air.

He pulled a chair out for me and told me to sit down.

I did as he said and flopped my head down on the table. I had just finished it and I already felt light-headed.

Then, there was an arm around me and a gentle question, "What happen?"

"... Nothing."

"Hmm... really? That huge water goblet full of wine doesn't really say that."

"Wait... It's a water goblet?"

"Yeah, it's huge compared to a red wine glass."

"Really?"

"Don't doubt me, I know my table settings well enough we can host the Queen of England."

"Oh...," I muttered, losing my train of thoughts. It was quite challenging to think actually.

"What were you sayin'?"

"I dunno," I answered and planted my head on the counter.

"Oh, you cheap drunk! What've you done to yourself? It's only been a minute."

"You think I'm drunk? Wow! I think I'm drunk, too!"

"Oh, no," he chuckled.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing much. It's just gonna be fun to see you drunk."

"Of course, you're gonna make fun of me. You're always like that," I pouted, leaning on his shoulder.

"Aww, now, tell me. What's wrong?"

"Everything is."

"What's everything?" he interrogated.

"It's who actually," I said drowsily, making my way on his lap to cuddle him. He was so warm and cozy like a teddy bear.

"Well then, who?"

I grunted without answering and wrapped myself around him. He did not push me away, but it was more like he did not care what I was doing.

"C'mon, tell me who," he encouraged with a pat on my back.

"Nope."

"I'm not gonna do anything to them. I just think you should talk to someone because what you just pulled off is not really you."

"What do you know about me, Jason?"

"Many things, but I'm asking a question. C'mon, spill."

I grumbled, but I answered him anyway, "It's you."

"Oh. What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything."

"... Is this also why you've been ignoring me recently?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I don't know what I did wrong and I don't think I did, but I guess, I'm sorr-."

"Nah," I silenced him with a light touch on his lips, "you don't have to feel sorry for being hot."

"... What?"

"You don't have to make me say it twice! I already know you're hot."

"No, that I know. But, how is this related to you ignoring me?"

"Because (I've been having sex dreams with you and I'm too embarrassed to admit it)!"

"Because?" I heard him, but I was not sure what happened after.

* * *

I squinted my eyes at the light from above. I was not sure where I was, but I felt a stiff board against me. I place my hand on top of the board which seemed to be the backrest and used it to leverage myself up.

Once I was right up, I rested my chin on it and looked around. I saw a guy walking around in grey sweatpants and I got to respect that thick thighs and ass that could be visible in sweatpants. What an eye candy.

Actually, he was very familiar and even his pace was familiar, but somehow I could not figure out who he was with the headache. So, I navigated my eyes further up his physique for more clues in case I could remember without putting my head up higher. His T-shirt was a little too small that I could count his abs. One... Two... Three... Four...

Wait... I felt like I had said something like this before. Who was he? I looked further up and scoffed when I related his gorgeous pecs between those muscular arms with man boobs.

However, I still could not put a name to him, so I had to lift my head up to see his face.

Oh! I remembered that dork's face! That was Jason! When did he get all that buff? Oh, wait, he was always buff.

Soon, he noticed me and greeted, "Hey, Sober! How yer feelin'?"

"Sober?" I thought about it for a second and recalled the wine I drank. Oh, damn, what had I done? No wonder why, I was having such a bad headache.

"Yes, you! How are you?"

"I don't feel so good."

"Of course, not," he stated and landed himself next to me.

"Why did you even bother to ask me if you already know the answer?"

"I just wanted to be proper. You didn't have to be so bitter."

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"Mm, it's fine. Here's some water."

"Thanks," I appreciated, receiving a tall, cylinder glass.

"So... why've you been avoiding me?"

"Didn't you already ask the question?"

"You got a very good memory for someone that drunk, but you passed out before you answered."

"... Oh, I see."

"So?"

"Well, I've just been having this absurd dream with you and it's quite disturbing actually," I explained, still a little dizzy as I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Did I do something bad? Maybe it's a vision!"

"No, not in a murderous, or illegal sort. It's disturbing because (I've been trying to keep your importance low in my spectrum of loved ones to protect myself from the pain when you're gone, but) the dream's been countering my logic."

"But, how bad is it that you have to chuck the whole glass?"

"It wasn't bad. I was just pissed at myself for being surrounded by decisions that I didn't want to make."

"Hmm," he wanted me to go on.

"I mean, after all the things we've gone through to settle an agreement, this thing is just unreasonable when it's with you and me."

"So, you're saying it's possible because, y'know, not murderous or illegal, but it's unreasonable?"

"In a way, yes."

"Well, if you think it's possible then why not just try it?"

I scoffed, "Do you even know what you're agreeing to? We're playing a very vague pronoun game, you know."

"Yeah, but how bad can it be?"

"Very bad."

"Let me be the judge of it."

"I assure you. You don't want to hear it."

"Course, I do."

"No, you'll regret it later."

"You'll only live twice, Babe. One more regret wouldn't hurt."

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you, but you have to promise me, you're not going to make it weird-"

"Now, you're making it weird."

"I mean, weirder than it already is and we'll still just be friends after I've told you this."

"Okay, I promise. But one quick question, how many times are you planning to friend-zone me? I know I'm there. You don't have to repeat it."

"One more time actually, but I can skip it."

"Skip it."

"Alright... Maybe I should just go talk to my mom," I mumbled and gave it another thought, "Nah, that will just be more awkward if I discuss it with her."

"Kay, so?"

"Consider I warned you."

"Mm-hmm."

"It's about you and me making baby."

"Making baby, so... That lucky bastard!" he snickered.

"I told you, you wouldn't want to hear it!"

"Well, now that I do, we gotta discuss. How was it?"

"You weren't supposed to make it weirder!"

"You already made it weird by ignoring me the last couple days! Was the sex dream that good that you can't face the real person that didn't do a thing?"

"Then, please excuse me for not having my skin as thick as yours! And actually to clarify that, the dream never got to the point where we do the deed."

"Oh... poor bastard. Poor me, I have to deal with your delicacy. If I deal with these dreams like you do, I'd be gone."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"I... may, or may not- As you know, men are very visual. Even though I'm a semi-good person, I'm still just a guy. And my point is, I might have lied to you when I said I'll forget about it in a day or two."

"I see. It's fine. (I wasn't saying the truth all the time either.) We should call it even and never talk about this again."

"Agreed."

There was a long and a little awkward pause between us, so I started up a new one, "Now, are you leaving or are we're watching 'Big Fam Cooking'?"

He checked his time and answered, "I got time for an episode."

"Cool!" I put the program on and found three episodes that I had not watched had been watched. I narrowed my eyes at him, "Traitor."

"What? It wasn't my fault that you weren't talking to me last two days! And, you were there when I watched the third one... just passed out."

"Fine, I won't make you rewatch them. I'm just disappointed."

"Well, my dear, I'm afraid I've already known, I am the definition of disappointment," he proudly owned it; even though, I did not think he was one.


	12. Chapter 12

When I woke up, it was like another dream relapsed. However this time I did not greet him at the door, he was already in my bed, sound asleep. I ran my fingers in his hair and smiled when he stirred and held me closer.

"Jason, wake up," I whispered.

"Mmm," he sounded, nuzzling the nape of my neck.

"That tickles!" I giggled.

He chuckled teasingly and gave me kisses to add to the tickling as he rolled on top of me.

I place my hands between us and maneuvered them across his chest until I could get his attention and cup his cheeks. I could not extend enough about how he lost me with those green eyes and his handsome face that was truly a work of art when he smiled at me. And since it was a dream after all, I closed the gap between our lips.

Suddenly, a rush of electric current ran through me and I finally realized he was real. He might have just realized it too when he quickly pulled away with a panic face.

"Oh, shit!" he shrieked.

"Jason?! What are you doing in my room?!" I quickly gathered myself into the blanket.

"I-I came to tuck you in!" he recalled.

"What? I don't even know how I got to my own room last night!- Oh," the memories of last night occurred to me.

"Yeah, you were at the couch when I got home."

"So, you brought me in," I patched his story with mine.

"And, you turned into a cuddling monster and wouldn't let me go."

"... Fair enough, even A-listers couldn't get out of it. I'm sorry," I apologized with my arms crossed embarrassingly. I almost felt the air getting heavier.

"It's... not a big deal and your bed is quite comfy," he took the queue and made his way off of my bed.

"Mm-hmm."

"Umm, coffee?" he walked away.

"Yes, please!" I smiled awkwardly and followed him.

We chatted a little, leaving the room and suddenly, there was a loud crash from the balcony with a computer message, "You have reached the nearest safe house."

Jason swiftly made an inspection of it before he let out a long sigh, hinting that I could come over and see. He knew I was too curious to be stopped from seeing what had happened anyway.

There, I saw a guy in red and black, posing like a typical dead body with his red wings over his head. Jason squatted down and checked his thermal and it was empty. He looked at one of his pocket and there was also nothing in it. He shook his head and sigh again before he casually made his way to the kitchen like nothing happened.

"Isn't that Red Robin?" I wondered, watching him overfilled the kettle for the two of us.

"Yeah, and actually why don't you take a photo of him in this pose? Maybe draw him a mustache while you're at it as well."

"He won't wake up?"

"Nah, not in a while."

"And, what exactly will I get from doing this?"

"A pint of strawberry ice-cream from that good place."

"Deal."

We shook on it and I completed the deal on my end in the matter of seconds.

"Wow, that was fast!"

"Of course! Nothing's going to be between me and my strawberries."

"Well," he poured the coffee into three cups, "Nothin' ain't gonna be between him and his coffee either." Then, he shouted, "Timothy!"

"Right here!" he shouted back like he was in a café, or maybe where he thought he was, and quickly walked upright to the counter. "Thank you," he uttered and sat down, chucking the whole cup in one go. "May I have a refill?"

Jason looked at him in the eye, but he did not seem to recognize him. So, Jason shook his head again and added, "Coming right up, Timbo," satisfying one of my inquiry of the unfamiliar names.

At last, the vigilante's eyes widen under the mask as he heard that nickname and saw the barista. "Jay?!"

"Among the living, yes," he stated and passed him the filled cup.

Red Robin took it and swallowed it whole again, which made me wonder how he did not burn his throat. At least, the one in my hand was too hot for me to drink.

"What are you doing here?!"

"The usual," Jason answered nonchalantly.

"No, that I know. I mean, here. Right here."

"What do you mean, right here? I live here."

"Oh, how long have you been here?"

"Since I came to town."

"No way! This safe house's just been registered two weeks ago."

"Seriously, you guys need to get it straight! This isn't a safe house, it's my personal house! Quit registering it!"

"Personal house?"

He waved his hand to me at the time I was taking a sip of the coffee, so there was a short awkward delay of introduction, "Andrea."

He shook my hand, "Red Robin," and I almost fell off the chair, forgetting that I drew a mustache on his face.

"See?"

"Crystal clear... I'll unregister the house, but that's as _straight_ as I'm going to be."

"Of course," he snickered.

"And, can I have another refill?"

"Help yourself. We've had enough. The whole kettle is yours."

"That's great! Thanks! I kind of ran out on my way back from H.Q."

"You did. I can't believe you emptied the coffee patches, too!"

"What can I say, it's good! Now, I have an extra hour of time instead of spending it on getting the coffee ready," he explained, filling up his thermal.

"You do you, Kid."

"Alright, I got to get going. This is your personal house and I don't want to cock-block you," he winked at me and pointed at his neck like there was something on mine. "Thanks for the coffee, Jay!" he exclaimed and disappeared from the balcony.

"Y'know, five years ago, I tried to kill him. Good thing, I didn't do it," Jason reflected.

I sounded with a smile, "Hmm-."

"Or else, today, we wouldn't have a news headline saying 'Red Robin's Rocking His Mustache'!" he laughed at his own joke.

"Oh, my God. Why did I think you're being sentimental?"

He looked at me and smiled, "I was! This is just a little, enjoyable token from it!"

I rolled my eyes and tried rubbing at the spot Red Robin pointed out. Nothing came on my hand though, so I was not sure what it was supposed to be.

"Something's wrong with your neck?"

"I don't know. He pointed at it. Nothing came off though."

"Oh. Lemme see."

"Sure," I held my hair up in a pony and turned it to him.

He looked at it closely and murmured, "Oh, no."

"What is it?"

"I've seen this before... I'm sorry, I think you're dying," he announced with terror in his voice.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"... Yeah, I was. They're just love bites. Guess you wouldn't wanna keep 'em," he said, brushing his thumb lightly around the area.

I chuckled.

"What?"

"You call them love bites," I semi-explained.

He did not get it, "Then, what do you call it?"

"Umm... hickeys? I don't know. Love bite's just sounded like something lovers would call it. This is... more like an accident?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, Andrea. What do you think?"

"I think (we obviously have a thing for each other to think that was a dream at first, but both of us are turning a blind eye at it. So,) it's... complicated," I looked at the cup of coffee in my hand.

"It _is_ complicated," he concluded and took a sip of his coffee. We really needed that pause before he changed the topic, "What's your plan, today?"

"Nothing in particular. Why?"

"I have a fitting test at the tailor shop today. You wanna come?"

"What for?"

"For the gala next week. You forgot?"

"Err... no. I didn't," I lied. I had been busy lately!

"Uh-huh," he did not believe me either. "So, you're coming?"

"Sure, if you get me a dress," I quipped, seeing an opening.

"A dress? Yeah, why not. They should be able to get you something."

"Wait. You didn't take that seriously, right?"

"Did you?"

"No. You?"

"Well, we'll see."

"It's a 'yes or no' question. Choose one."

"We'll see!" he smirked.

"Jason," I sighed and shook my head amusingly.

He snickered and stretched to the freezer behind him. I did not suspect anything until he tossed whatever he got at me.

I caught the cold pack and yelped, "It's cold!" dropping it on the table.

"Course, it is! It was in the freezer!" he stated the obvious, passing me a tea towel.

"I know! But, you didn't have to do that!" I snatched the tea towel and wrapped it around the cold pack. "What's it for?"

"For the love bites- hickeys- whatever yer call 'em. So, they'll stop swelling," he explained, walking around the island to me.

"Oh, is it that bad?" I buzzed, tying my hair into a bun.

"Eh," he placed the cold pack around my neck and continued, "I can't say, it's not bad. I really did a number on you... You should see it yourself."

"What can't a concealer do?" I laughed carelessly at his frown and went to the bathroom. "Oh, my God! Jason!" I yelled. I was shock when I saw myself in the mirror. I could not believe that he covered a good third of my neck with bruises! "I'll die, if my boss sees this!"

* * *

Around an hour later of concealing all the marks, I was eventually ready to leave for the tailor shop. I checked myself one last time just to be sure I had every to go on the bike: the jacket and gloves on my white, linen shirt and jeans.

I came out of my room and there it was the usual comment from my precious roommate, "You dress like a cop." It was the trillionth time he said that and most of the time I would just ignore it.

However after spending so much time to fix myself because of him, I was in the mood for a little mischief. "Maybe, it's because I am one. And you, what the hell are you wearing?"

He scoffed, "Armani."

I narrowed my eyes at his black, fitted suit on the white shirt casually worn and I took off my gloves. I figured we were not taking the bike, so I lost my jacket and let my hair down. Then, I grabbed the necklace I got from a free-pile years ago to complete the new look. "Beat that, Armani."

"Oh, they'll never," he smiled. "After you."

"Thank you," I smiled back.

We hopped on the enclosed elevator and he buzzed, "Pumps and lipstick. You're going all out today, aren't cha?"

"Well, I've got to be prepared. My roomie might be getting me a dress," I joked, "and I think it's better to have the dress match how I want to look on the day which is this. Thanks for noticing."

"Yeah- I mean, it wasn't hard."

"Well, all my exes couldn't careless. Except the girl, she's a doll. And, you.- Also, you look great yourself! No bed head, I'm surprised!"

"Trust me, I've had enough hell last time I went there with bed head, tee, and jeans," he chuckled.

"Umm, I'm wearing jeans, right now. Should I go change?"

"Nah, it's fine. Yours is like stylish shirt and jeans. Mine was more like the-hell-with-it kinda theme."

"Oh, so your usual," I commented right when the elevator reached the parking lot.

"Oof! I thought you love me!" he stepped out after me.

"Still do, as an honest friend," I smugged, pacing to the garage that he usually opened.

"We're not opening that one today," he stated, "Come here, I'll make you regret what you've said."

"But, what about the Civic? Isn't it in there?" I pointed at the first garage.

"Civic, with this suit? Please," he opened the second garage door and revealed a matted black with red stripes...

"Lamborghini?"

"Yes," he smirked, "Now, regret."

"There's no way you can afford this! Not even second-hand!" I debated.

"Well, suck it up, I did. First-hand."

"Oh, my God! No way! No way in hell!" I squealed.

"Yes way! And I said, I did. It wasn't that bad," he bragged.

I brushed it off. I could not careless about his compliments to himself today because I found a chance in front of me. "Can I drive?!"

"No."

"Please?" I hugged him with my best puppy eyes.

"Still, no. And, don't you dare try to pick my pocket," he grounded sternly.

"But...," I frowned and then raved, showing him what I had in my hand from the hug, "I already did!"

"What-how?!"

"Told you, you let your guard down around me!"

"No, I don't!"

I gave him an arched eyebrow, running to the car.

"Fine! Your puppy eyes got me for a second! A second!"

"A second and I got this. Let's see what I can do in a minute," I started the engine. I revved it up and I could feel the sound humming through me. I was so hyped that I almost did not noticed he got in the passenger seat.

"C'mon, we only got twenty to get there," he remarked.

"You're letting me drive?!"

"Yes, if you'll get over the fact. In three... two-"

"Yes, yes! I'll drive. Please lead the way."

"Good."

We left the apartment and arrived at the tailor shop just in time. He took the key back, but I was already satisfied with a trip. It was in my bucket list to drive it! And, I did! Still could not shake it off!

"C'mon!" he shouted from the entrance because I was not leaving the car.

"Okay, okay," I blew a kiss at it and bid, "Goodbye, Beautiful!"

"Are you serious?!"

I skipped to his arm and replied, "No, I knew it was going to annoy you."

He chuckled and shook his head.

We entered the cozy, exposed-brick building into the cozier and homey, yet professional shop. It must have been the spotted, golden light and wooden decor-pillar that made it seemed so warm, but the white LEDs surely balanced it out for a shopping feels.

An employee welcomed us and led us to a private lounge where his order awaited. It was a three-piece suit: a midnight-blue jacket with matching trousers, a grey slanted-vest, and a blueish-white shirt along with the crimson-red cufflinks, tie and handkerchief. I really wondered how it would look on him.

"How 'bout we check the store out for your dress first?" he suggested, but then a man entered the room.

The man was in his early sixties with an average frame. He had a measuring tape over his dress vest and a clipboard with him, so I figured he was the tailor.

"Hello, Mr. Sawyer!" Jason greeted.

"Oh, hello! Haven't seen you for a while!" the man replied, taking off his reader.

"Been busy."

"Hmm. Me, too.- How's Alfred?"

"Still keeping us in line as always."

"That's good. And, I see your fashion sense has improved."

"Please, that was once and three years ago."

"Well, I still can't wash my eyes enough after that disaster," he chuckled. "And, who's this?"

"Andrea, this's Mr. Sawyer, the tailor slash owner of the place. Mr. Sawyer, this's Andrea, my plus one."

"Nice to meet you," we both said and shook our hands.

Then, Mr. Sawyer started staring at me... intensely. Eventually, he uttered something, "Do you need a dress? I got one that I worked on that'll fit you perfectly."

"Oh, sure! We'll take a look," I answered, forgetting about the price range it could possibly be at the fancy place.

"You'll like it. It's red," he remarked and signaled his employee to get it. Soon, it arrived and he said, "Now, let's see how the suit and dress fit both of you. There's a room on the left and another room on the right."

"Thank you," I appreciated, proceeding to the changing room.

I opened the cover and there was a tea-length, crimson-red, mermaid dress with a deep v-neck. I put it on and it hugged my body surprisingly well for a first trial. I really like the length too and not to mention, the v-shape open-back that ended beautifully at the curve of my spine. I could not believe I was thinking this, but damn, I looked hot.

Now, to the harsh reality, how much it was. I scavenged around the dress and the cover for a price tag, but there was none. I checked twice and the floor, but nothing seemed to show up. Well, whatever, it was not like I could afford it if I knew.

I felt a little down due to the fact when I came out of the changing room, but I could not feel better after seeing his jaw dropped at the sight of me.

"Y-you look good," he complimented, standing behind me once I stood on the platform.

"Thanks," I reflected a smile at him through the mirror. "Where's the tailor?"

"He left a second ago. Why?"

"I was going to thank him and put this back in the cover."

"Oh. You don't like it?"

"Yes, I do! It's just too expensive for me."

"Then, take it. I'm getting you a dress anyway, right?"

"Oh, Jason, don't be ridiculous! I was just kidding!" I scolded.

He snickered, "But, I agreed to it."

"No, please," I stayed firm, "I don't like being in people's debt."

He raised his hands in defeat, "Alright, it's your decision."

"Thank you," I turned to him with a smile and tucked the lapels of his new suit until it was neat and tidy. "It _suits_ you," I giggled.

"Oh, God! You're unbelievable!"

"Pun-believable?"

"No, no, no, no, you can't do that!" he grumbled.

I laughed, "Come on! I'll never beat your pro-pose, Dork!"

"Course, not!" he recalled happily. Then, we waited shortly for Mr. Sawyer to return, so he could make some more detailed notes of his work. And once it was done, Jason voiced, "Let's change out of this and go out for lunch."

"Okay," I agreed and we parted ways to remove the fitting clothes.

I was just getting ready to take the dress off when I heard the changing room on his side closed. He was probably done and it would remain forever a mystery to me about how he could change that fast. Meanwhile, I was trying to unbutton the top of my zipper behind me. It should have been easy considered how deep the open-back was, but it was not.

After a while, I was able to successfully unbutton it, but I was not really successful with the zipper. It seemed to have caught on something. So, I peeked out the door for an employee, but there was only him.

Argh, what worse could happen? He had already seen me naked.

"Psst, Jason!" I tried catching his attention.

"Huh?" he quickly turned around.

"Can you come here? I need your help."

"Sure," he sprinted across and asked, "What's it? Wo-" I pulled him inside and closed the door. "-ah, what's happening?"

"My zipper got stuck," I explained.

"Oh, umm, okay," he paused to see the situation, "How deep do you want me to go?"

"Just a little deeper."

He chuckled, "That's what she said."

"Could've said the same with your question!" I ranted.

"Okay, okay," he muttered and loosened the zipper, "Done."

"Thank you."

"No...," he halted like he spotted something, "problem... Oh."

"What?" I puzzled.

He grinned at me, "I like your tattoo."

"Wha-," I suddenly remembered I got a tiny, hidden tattoo of a certain red bat-symbol at the lower right corner of my waist when I did not know better and blushed badly. "I. Was. Eighteen," I flustered.

"Hmm, I see. A long-time fan, ain't cha?" he teased.

"Oh, my God! Jason! Get out!" I pushed him away.

Just when I thought I could not be more embarrassed around him! I was totally wrong! I rattled inside the changing room even after I was done changing into my clothes because I could not come out. My face still matched the color of the dress!

However, not long later, I realized I could not stay in there forever and the more time I gave him to think about it, the more hell I could get if he planned anything. It was not worth it to be in there longer.

I took a glance across the floor and did not see him... Where did he go? I stepped out of the room and out of the blue, I sensed a hand behind me about to grab my arm. I ducked down and swung a punch to the mid-body of the shadow.

"Oof!" it grunted and dropped to the ground.

"What the hell?! Jason?!" I exclaimed at the lighted shadow and helped him up.

"You punched me! I'm the one that have to ask the question: what the hell?"

"You startled me! What were you doing in the shadow?!"

"I dropped a cufflink," he showed it to me and added, "and I was gonna say I was right behind you!"

"I'm so, so sorry!"

"Save it, it won't make me feel any better," he howled, laying down on the sofa.

I was not sure how to react to his over dramatic reaction, but seriously, "Come on, I've seen you worse. How bad can this tiny, beautiful hand hurt you?"

"Right-in-the-gut bad, Insensitive."

"Well, I'm sorry!"

"Save it, I don't need another thoughtless apology from you," he pouted.

"Wha-what?! I said I'm sorry (and it's heartfelt) and you wouldn't accept it! What do you want me to do? Kiss you better?"

He look at me surprised, was not expecting the option, and responded, "... Maybe."

"Nope. We've gone over this. And, you know, since you're all dressed up with the car, I'm sure ninety-nine percent of the people will throw themselves at you at first sight."

"And, you're the one percent?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But, one percent is also a big number considering how big the world's population is."

"Wow, I'm not even sure if I should be proud of myself, or be ashamed that I'm not entirely a people's person."

"Be proud. If you're talking about the big gap between your likability, the likelihood always goes down every second after the first sight."

"Ouch," he snickered.

"Well, now, we got to find someone that'll kiss you better twice because you won't accept my apologies. Don't worry, I'll be your wingman," I stood up and lend him a hand.

"Alright, fine," he ventured.

We paused at the cashier for a second for the cleaner and delivery arrangement. Then, right when we were about to depart, another customer came in. He was wearing a bright, yellow blazer and red T-shirt with jeans which really caught my eyes at the first second because it resembled the traffic light. The next second, I was ready to ignore the guy, if not because I felt like I had seen him before... He was the guy in the photo when I picked my roommate!

Oh, my God! He was even more of a 'pretty boy' in person. It was as if he had daisies around him at all time, or... maybe it was the color he was wearing that contrasted with his dark hair. Anyway, he was smiling from the moment he entered the store, but it disappeared when our eyes met. Or perhaps, it was when his eyes met Jason's and not mine since I was in between them.

"Jay?" the guy chanted.

Jason gave me an eye-signal which we had never agreed upon and dragged me to a fast-walk competition. Was he crazy, my pumps were four inches from the ground?!

"Jason!" the guy yelled again when we were out of the store toward the parking lot.

"Jason, slow down. I can't walk this fast in this heels, it hurts," I stressed.

I heard the guy shouted his name again and Jason looked at the incoming a bit worriedly. He placed my hands around his neck and commanded, "Hold on."

I did as he said and he lifted me off the ground like I was a feather. And he ran, while the guy ran after him. He jumped into the car and drove it out of the drive way immediately after he started it. He did not even had a moment to put me on the passenger seat!

However, the guy was still running after us. I saw him shooting something into the sky, but he disappeared the next second. Meanwhile, Jason quickly made a turn to a country road. There was nothing but plain, and yet the guy landed on the hood of the car from the sky. Where the hell did he come from?!

Jason began driving like a maniac to get rid of him, but it was not working. And had I mentioned, it was also utterly reckless?!

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" I exclaimed, holding the driver tighter, while I watched the guy climbed into the passenger seat like a spider. Then, he jumped in, buckled the seatbelt, and handcuffed himself with Jason.

"Sir, you're under arrest!" he stated.

Hearing so, Jason slowed down and came to a stop. He did something to the handcuff and it released. He stared at the guy and smiled out of nowhere. "Oh, hey, Dickie! Haven't seen you for a while!" he acted as if none of the chase happened.

"Oh, yeah? I thought, we've seen each other two minutes ago at the store."

"Oh, really? I might've missed you."

"Well," he handcuffed him again, "maybe. Now, we got to catch up."

"And, why exactly are you arresting me?" he questioned and released himself again.

"For speeding and unfastening your seatbelt," he cuffed him yet another time.

"Well, Brother, y'know, this doesn't exactly work on me," he released, "Or, any of us as a matter of fact."

The guy was about to handcuff him again, so I put my wrist out in place of Jason because I was curious to why it would not effect them but only to normal people. He handcuffed me and it became a shocking surprise to both men.

"What did you do?!" Jason scolded.

"Yes! What did you do?!" the guy dramatically reacted like I broke something. Well, it seemed like both of them were equally dramatic about it.

However, thinking about it, I did break something. "Break the chain of Jason being arrested and releasing himself. And," I looked at the handcuff and it was the very standard one that the police force used. I was taught how to get out of that when I was four, so I took it off and handed the handcuff to him, "support the fact that none of us in here would be bothered by the handcuff... Other than that, I want to say I'll show myself out."

I lift up from his lap and he pulled me back down, "No, you're staying. He's leaving."

"I just want to talk," the guy pleaded.

"Then, talk while I drop you off at the tailor's shop," Jason started driving again.

"Okay, fine," he sighed and took a deep breath. "I know I'm not the best brother in the world, I'm trying. I'm sorry, I keep making the same mistake by telling Bruce your most recent reckless plan you're about to execute. I'm sorry, I'm an ass sometimes when it comes to it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you... I want to be someone you can rely on, someone you can call whenever you need help, and to be that someone for you for real from now on. Not the one that gave you half-ass promises and lost you. I want to make it right, to be a better brother."

"Yeah, I've heard that four years ago, Dick. And, you know what I'm really mad about this time."

"Yes, I was getting there... I'm sorry, your old apartment took a bazooka and your favorite, custom-made bike didn't make it and crumbled with the building. I'm sorry, I fought Brutale and let him aim the bazooka at the specific building which was happened to be your apartment... But in my defense, your apartment was the only one around without any civilian and after that he gave up the bazooka because his knives were better and more his style that I can predict. Say, it was for a good cause before I took him to somewhere more secured."

"My bike, Dick! That's all I asked instead of my whole apartment and everything in it and I still haven't seen a check from you!"

"Come on, Jay! Not everyone makes an abundant amount of money in the family!"

"Maybe, detective work doesn't fit you after all."

"Yes, it does! It fits me perfectly!"

"Then, I better see the money and we're good," he pulled over.

"But, it was for a good cause!"

"A good cause doesn't feed mouths, Golden Boy. I don't even care where you'll get the money."

"Fine," he said and got on his phone.

A couple seconds later, Jason received a message from the bank and replied, "Thanks, Bro. Now, get out of my car, so my girl can sit."

"Your girl?" we puzzled in unison, and the guy looked at me like I was supposed to know.

So, I looked at Jason with the same manner, "Excuse me, when exactly? How did I not know about this?"

"Er... First answer: never. Second: I was about to ask, do you wanna be my girl?"

"Nope," I smiled and shook my head at his lame safe. I almost felt bad for declining him again.

He puffed the air into his cheeks and let them out in a sigh, "Well, what she said, not my girl. But, she'll get the seat. So, get out of my fucking car!"

"Alright, alright! Geez!" he unfastened the seatbelt and made his way out, while I took his seat. He puts his hand out and greeted me, "Nice to meet you, Not-Jason's-Girl!"

I shook it and responded, "Nice to meet you, too, Jason's-Brother!", just in time before Jason drove off.

Several kilometers later, he asked me, "So, where to?"

"I don't know. You're driving like you already know where we're going."

"I don't," he shrugged.

"Oh, I can look up a place," I made a quick search and buzzed, "What do you want? Italian, Chinese, Korean, or American?"

"Whichever one you want," he answered.

I really hated his answer, but I got enough practice with my parents as an only child. "Italian," I picked the nearest one.

"Kay, which way?"

"Your right," I directed at the bistro.

"That's close by," he commented at the turn when we arrived.

"Sure is and it also got pretty good reviews," I pointed out as we entered the modern-looking restaurant with a row of tables against the window and the open kitchen and bar on the other side.

I took a seat on the long, sofa bench paralleled to the window, facing the kitchen, and he got the chair of the two-persons table. Not long later, we ordered our meals and I excused myself to the bathroom. It was only about five minutes, but upon my returning, he already got a new company.

She was a skinny blonde in a casual, black dress, sitting at my spot. I felt a little bugged because she was on my seat and Jason could have done something, but I was not about to barge in, or anything to make her leave.

I did not have the privilege to since I was the one who pushed him away after all. So, I stood in the dark and watched. I was going to give them time until my food arrived; however, it seemed to fall short.

She slid a small paper in his breast pocket and gave him a peck on the cheek before she left empty-handed.

I waited a little longer for her to completely disappeared before I took my seat back with a witty remark, "Hey, Casanova!"

"Please," he snickered, "that'll have to imply that I'm only attracted to women."

"Ha, nice! Well, anyway, I'm going to guess that your dinner is booked," I smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?"

"Yeah, of course, it was not obvious at all!" I inserted.

* * *

It was ten at night and I was alone in the apartment and slightly worried. I was probably thinking too much, but he was gone since four-thirty and his gears were all in the duffel bag on the kitchen stool next to me.

Also, another thing, I wished I could have talked to him earlier, was about the blonde. We were at a restaurant, but she did not left with a single take-out. It pretty much concluded that they knew each other, but I did not have him specify if she was on the good side... or worse.

Now, I was a little concern for the worst that could happen to him because he was rarely late to the creepy, abandoned flat. Well, unless he lost his sense of time, enjoying himself, then it was none of my business.

The door rattled and I was absolutely relieved to hear his usual pattern of unlocking the door.

"Hey," I greeted, but there was no reply. So, I turned to see him and he was gloomy as hell. His shoulders were hunching and his legs were unsteady. It was unlike him and it was very concerning.

He approached me and passed a pint of strawberry ice-cream which he promised in the morning. "Hi," he greeted me with a forty-five seconds delay.

"Thank you," I appreciated with a smile, while I felt kind of trapped between the fridge and his sullen aura. "Are you okay?"

He did not answer and passed me another pint of ice-cream.

I took his hand before he retreated and tired to keep it light, but not inappropriately bright for the moment, "What are you trying to bribe me for this time?"

"I-I don't know anymore," he answered, "My heart... It's not beating."


	13. Chapter 13

"It's not beating," he repeated, as if he already accepted the defeat, "I can't feel anything."

I gently cupped his cheek with my free hand, while the other was occupying his and scavenging for his pulse in case it was literal, which was unlikely. However, for a moment, he almost convinced me that I was really talking to the dead at twenty-eight beats per minute.

Well, at least, his heart was not-not beating at all, so I comfortingly asked, "What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure," he admitted, squeezing my hand.

He paused and looked away, but I did not fill in the quiet moment. I wanted him to fill it.

"I," he continued, gradually lacing our hands together as his distraction, "didn't feel this... calmness. I didn't feel it from her, or him, or any of them... just you. Only you." He paused again, but this time his eyes were fixed at mine. "How did you do it," he pondered, "sending chills down my spine the first time we kissed? How did you make my heart beat so fucking hard, people could hear it three blocks away? What the fuck did you do to me? Why is it only happening with you?"

He flooded questions at me and I was not prepared for a single one of them. Some of the questions were even valid for me to ask him, too, and all I could tell him was, "I-I don't-."

"It's fine," he cut me off with a touch on my lips, "You don't have to answer me anything." He took a step away and murmured, "I'm just here, wishing I could feel it one more time."

He smiled at me, but it was too painful to watch. I had to look somewhere else, but when he turned his back to me, I grabbed his jacket instinctively and would not let go.

He stopped, but he did not turn around. It was a good thing actually because if he did, he would see me cry; even though, those tears were not for me.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, keeping my voice from cracking, "I'm sorry for being so selfish... I thought I was saving myself from the worst later, but no, I'm hurting you right now. And, I'm sorry, I didn't realized how much it'll affect you... I should've known, I shouldn't have stayed. But, I didn't and I did... I hurt you, Jason, and it hurts me too because I know, all I have to do is admit that I really... really like you. But, I didn't and you don't have to forgive me."

My heart skipped a beat every second I waited for his respond. There was still hope, but if it did not pan out, the only one to blame was myself.

"No, I don't have to," he uttered and my heart sank.

A tear rolled down my cheek, leaving a burning sensation wherever it went, because this time it was for me. It could not be for anyone else when his simple words stabbed me through the chest like a flaming sword, but I deserved it. I let go of his jacket and closed my eyes because I could not watch him leave.

I heard his gears rattled in the duffle when he took it from the stool and each rattle was further away from the one before. Then, there was the unenviable sound of the door opening to the hallway and closing.

My heart ached as I held myself together. I tried to listen for the his elevator ride, but the pain kept ringing in my ears. I leaned against the fridge and let it take me to the ground. I was not steady enough to keep on acting like I could stand when there was no one watching.

I messed up so bad, I was not even sure why I was crying in the corner when I wanted to kick myself out of his life even more. I was not any good to him and I dared to hurt him, too... I was such an asshole!

"Fucking hell!" the voice whose I did not know was still there cussed and by the time I looked up to see him, his warmth had already surrounded me. "Dammit, Andrea," he snarled, "I wasn't gonna look back!"

He wiped my tears away and studied me with the gentlest eyes I had ever seen from a former stranger. What was he doing? Why was he still here?

"You're... here," I gushed, but I could not understand. "I-I thought you left!"

"I couldn't. I was gonna, but I couldn't... I thought this was the best excuse to leave you because all the reasons added up, but when it comes to it, leaving this place felt like shit. And by shit, I mean getting-punched-in-the-throat shit." He breathed and continued, throwing his hands to emphasize it, "I couldn't fucking breathe when that fucking door's opened!"

He panted like he just ran twenty miles and hugged me a little tighter. I wanted to hold him too, but I did not feel like I could when nothing had settled between us.

"I'm sorry," I repeated when I realized this was my second chance, without looking into his eyes. I was not ready for any positive, or negative reaction from him.

"I know and it's fine, I don't care. I knew you'd say it and I pushed you to it. And...," he lifted my chin up to see my face, "I'm sorry, I made you say it. I thought hearing you say it yourself that you hurt me would make it easier for me to leave you... It worked, but you caught me off guard." He finished his sentence and paused, but he was not done. His eyes shifted to the cabinets as he explained, "I wasn't expect that confession."

I pieced his information together and pushed him away, "Wha-what do you mean? It's all an act?!"

"No, no!" he held me close, "Alright, yes, I fucked that up! I planned, executed and maneuvered the atmosphere to my liking which mean I indeed acted... But, listen, nothin' ain't easier and more convincing than acting out what I really feel!" Then, he added, "And, it did stung, getting turned down so many times."

"I'm... sorry," I admitted, feeling ridiculously guilty for the sad tone of voice that he used.

He rested his head against mine and suddenly snickered, "My God, Andrea! Just let it go. That's the fifth time you've said it! Do I have to spell out 'I forgive you'?!"

"I mean, I can feel bad too, you know! I don't know what you feel, if you don't sa-."

"Oh, shut up," he interrupted with a light brush on my lips. "I... really really like you, too," he confessed.

His words were like green lights on a crowded intersection, only on all four ways at the same time and I was the crash.

I pulled him into a kiss and felt something pulling my legs just like how I remembered our first kiss at the alley, but for once, I did not doubt where the falling would lead me. I closed my eyes as I fell into the warm pool. It was incredibly soothing until it was shocked with a current and my whole body buzzed, as if I was hosting thousands of rushing bees in my veins.

He pushed me against the fridge and lifted me off the floor, while I was secured to his waist and quickly cleared the table behind me. He placed me down at the edge of the table. I pushed his jacket away and sucked right above where the collar of his armor would be.

"Gettin' back for the hickeys, Love?"

"Love bites," I corrected him, "if I can get through your thick skin."

"Well, if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be here. Especially with your delicacy," he rubbed it in and pecked the marks he left on me this morning.

"Jason, you're going to make it worse!" I giggled.

He clicked his tongue amusingly and locked our lips together once more. However this time, it was one long, sweet and loving kiss. It was not a kiss for the mood like I would expect to pick up where we left off, but it was a kiss to remember.

So, I wondered, "What's wrong?"

"I... think we should stop here and... come back to it later," he hesitantly proposed.

I saw him glanced at the clock on the wall and figured, "You got to go?"

He bit his bottom lip and answered, "... Yeah... I'm already late and I still got errands to do around town."

"... Okay," I muttered, getting off the table.

"And, y'know, leaving kids unattended in Gotham for too long may result another adoption by Bruce Wayne," he quipped.

I chuckled and teased, "Unless his son's already adopted them all."

"Please," he beseeched, "I'm still under the radar, so you've got to be more specific."

"So, legally and biologically?" I got specific like he asked.

He thought for a moment and responded, "None."

"Emotionally?"

"Forty-two," he did not even think about the number and I might have known the reason.

"Of course," I smiled, running my hands ups and downs his chest.

He leaned in and kissed me once more before he truly left.

* * *

The next morning could not come any sooner. I got up, filled up the kettle, and cooked something for breakfast. I put the two portions on to plates like usual and he should be home any second when I set them down on the table.

I settled down and turned on the morning news. Then, I heard the door unlocked while I was pouring the coffee for myself, so I poured some for him, too.

"Morning!" he greeted, entering the house, and sat at the same spot next to me.

"Good morning!" I replied, paying a little more attention to the news and food than him.

Although, his laugh certainly caught all my attention.

"What's so funny?" I puzzled.

"Nothing much, I just realized we've been living like an old-married couple."

I snickered, recalling our daily routine. We were living together, we cared for each other, and there was obviously some different aspects of love between us. We just did not have sex and that pretty much summed up old and married. However, we were never a couple until the last twelve hours and things were probably going to change from now on.

"I guess," I shrugged with a smug, "but that's before yesterday.- Should I pack my breakfast to lunch? I might be late, but it's fine."

"Heh," he smirked, "you'll have to call in sick if we're really doing it."

"A whole day for sex?" I observed.

"Course, no- not on our first time. I wanna take you out on a date, eat something good, do something fun, come back home, relax, watch a good movie, and then do you... But, a whole day for sex sounds like a great second time."

I tried not to smile, but my vibe gave it away.

"What's so funny?" he sounded a little hurt.

"Oh, my God!" I blurted out laughing and I swore I saw his ears dropped. "I'm sorry," I quickly apologized, "You seem like someone who doesn't believe in the concept of love itself. But, I'm so wrong! You're hopeless!"

He was probably offended, but his comeback was still savage as ever, "Well, at least, I'm not delusional!"

"Ouch!" I cried and acted like I got a bullet to my chest, laughing it off.

He scoffed and buzzed, "So, what do you think? I can't make a two-persons decision on my own."

I sighed, remembering my packed schedule today, and reached out to play with his hand. "Let's do all of it tomorrow. It's my day off," I negotiated with a big smile.

"Of course," he smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear, "but first, I need to recharge."

I leaned in to kiss him one last time before I went to work.

* * *

At noon, I took a break at my regular coffee shop and sat at the same spot at the patio. I was normally alone and that was another normal day I enjoyed my lunch with myself. Although, it was not for long.

"Hi! Are you occupied?" an upbeat, male voice greeted me.

I did not recognize his voice very well, so I directed him to my mean, living voicemail, "Yes. Can't you see, I'm with me, myself, and I?"

"Wow! Are you sure you're Not-Jason's-Girl? I'm pretty sure he'll say the exact thing to me."

My face turned to him at the nickname and I realized, "Oh, my God! You're Jason's-Brother! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be rude! Please take a seat."

He laughed and sat down. And now that he was not wearing that traffic light, I found out that the daisies were certainly from him and not his clothes. He was wearing dark blue shirt and jeans with black jacket for Pete's sake and he was still so bright! Certainly too bright for my liking, but it was not unbearable.

"How are you?" he inquired.

"I'm fine, thank you. You?"

"That's good. Me, too.- And, I haven't got your name."

"It's Andrea."

"Richard Grayson, Dick," he introduced himself as well and shook my hand.

"Oh, right! I _do_ know your name. He mentioned you before," I recalled.

"Oh, really?! What did he say?"

I told him about the first day I came to see the apartment and found out that Jason was not the guy in the picture. The guy was actually Dick and Jason was going along the line of sending Dick's photo to random people. Honestly, I was completely freaked out at the time when the picture did not match, but Jason was so sleep deprived that I forgot to be scared of him.

By the end of the story, Dick did not even question it. It was as if he knew Jason would play that out as a joke, but he was not mad. He just enjoyed what his brother was doing from a far, while looking out for him as well.

To be absolutely honest, I kind of envied him. I wished I could have a sibling to care for and I to be cared of by them. Although, I would not understand why Jason would find his siblings a pain since I was an only child.

I checked the time and pointed out to him, "I'm sorry, but I got to cut this short. I have to go to work soon."

"Oh! No problem.- I'm actually here to ask you for a quick favor," he revealed.

"Oh, I see. What is it?" I welcomed it.

"You see, there's a fundraising at the Manor coming up. We're kind of hoping that Jay would come."

"Do you mean the one this week?" I followed up and I believed I knew what the favor was going to be.

"Yeah! There'll be musics, entertainments and free bars, and I think Steph left an invitation with him," he tried to bait me; even though, she already did and got me in on it. Maybe, he just did not get the memo.

"Yes, she did. Don't worry, we're coming," I explained and luckily, he reminded me that I still needed a dress.

"Oh, that's great!" he lit up and I wished I had a solar eclipse glasses handy to block his brightness. "I'll see you both later then!" he replied energetically.

"Yeah! We'll see you then," I responded as cheerful as I could be to reflect his energy and waved at him, leaving the café.

He waved back and took the opposite direction.

I fast walked back to work and accidentally overheard the cops talking near my building.

"That laughing lunatic is out again-," said one of them and everything else was concealed by a speeding motorcycle, which was none other than the Red Hood's.

* * *

I went home immediately after work, hoping for a first-handed source of what had happened earlier at noon from my roommate. However no matter how long I waited, I did not see a single shadow.

The morning after was the same. I waited for him because I thought we arranged something yesterday. Although, he did not take a step out of his room and later in the afternoon, I began to smell the cigarettes leaking into the common area.

I was worried, considering the situation where he smoked last time. It seemed like he was trying to quit from the look of the old package he had with him, but there had to be more than the remaining two rolls to create this result.

What was stressing him so much that he was chain-smoking? Wh-?

Suddenly, I heard loud rattles beside the balcony. I thought that was him, so I rushed to check.

However, I had become a witness to Batgirl's crime of breaking and entering instead. Not that anyone was going to press charges on her. She was too nice. And once she noticed me, she brightened out of the gloom and sprinted gladly to me.

"Oh, my God! Thank God, you're here!" she greeted and hugged me.

"Oh, hi!" I awkwardly received her hug and inquired, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes!" she answered, storming into the apartment, "He won't let me in!" She banged on his door and stressed, "Hey! We just want to help! And I told you, Joker jail-breaking and the kids going missing are two different things!"

"I don't even care 'bout that, Steph. But, they're all in the same place and it ain't no good," he replied, without letting her in, "Now, go away! I got this."

"Oh, c'mon! I just wanna help!- We just wanna help! And, I know how much this means to you!" she beseeched, "Tim and I are ready to back yer up! We'll-!"

"Oh, fuck it!- Listen! I don't need you. I don't need _any_ of you! I'm fine on my own. Just _go_."

"But-," she stammered, tearing up when those harshly arranged words hit her. I had never believed that words could be harsh, it was all up to how they were interpreted through sentences and tone of voice. And, _his_ tone of voice was full of thorns.

I patted her on the back. Jason really went overboard there, but she quickly wiped her tears away and returned stronger.

"Fine," she yelled at him, "You don't need us, but we'll be there anyway! Now, here's the file! Take it, or leave it."

She slapped the document on the floor and dashed away.

I picked it up and waited until the tension watered down. It took a while and I was not sure myself, if I should intervened at all. Then, my gut gave me a bad feeling about the document I was holding which did not reach the hands of its holder, or... it could be the habit of delivering files around in the office. Anyhow, I approached him again with a gentle knock on the door with not only the information, but also my own opinion of his action.

"Jason...," I began, "I know I'm an outsider and you can just disregard what I'm saying. But... she acted tough for you and you have to know that you've made her cry. And I think you should take a look at what she has to offer and... apologize."

No one responded, so I stood there for another few moments before thinking of placing the file down. Luckily, the time did not go to waste and the door opened. The heated air and dust escaped to my face, while I coughed out the cancer I inhaled and glanced at him.

He looked down at me and mumbled, "I hate it so much when you're right."

He picked out a small chip on his door and thew it away. It seemed to be a speaker of some sort, which reminded me that his room was sound proof. No wondered why his voice was so clear.

Then, he grabbed the file from my hand, but I would not it let go.

I could not. His room was dark with the computer as the only source of light and still his eyes were darker. They were wavering out of focus, and his skin was losing its color. How could I let it go and allow him to keep shutting himself in? Most importantly, how could I let him go when he was at this state?

"Give it to me, Andrea," he demanded, pulling it harder toward him. When he got it, I swiftly grabbed his arm before he left and suddenly felt the heat.

"You're burning!" I noted.

"Like I fucking care!" he hissed and flinched away.

"But I care! You're going to kill yourself, if you go out like this!" I called him out and pulled him away from his room.

"And how does that affect you?!" he raved and I slapped him.

"Don't you understand?!" I cried, regretting the slap, but at the very moment, I was too concern to apologize. "You're holding a match every time you go out and you're pouring gasoline on yourself with that uniform.- I'm not asking you to stop playing with fire, I just need you to be aware of how close the fire is to you. But, you're not in the right state to do that right now and I still want to see you today, tomorrow and the day after. I want to talk to you, hold you, and love you even more, but if you're gone, who am I suppose to do all this with when we both know that _no one_ will ever replace you!" I took a deep breath, after venting it all out, and finished, "Life is short, but it's truly where _you_ decide to take it."

He went quiet for a while, standing at the same place. I was not sure what was going on inside his head and I hoped I did not hurt his feelings, or anything, because I could barely remember what I said out loud. I was mad when he said his death would not affect me.

Finally, he moved and sat on the chair close to the book shelves. He stared outside in deep thoughts and uttered, "Then, what should I do? The kids are still out there. Six of them. They need help."

I knelt down next to him and held his hand, "They'll get help, I promise. You should take a rest, you've done enough."

"How?"

"Trust me."

* * *

I took the file to my room and went through it. There was only two pieces of information: a profile of a human trafficker and a meeting time and place. The profile may be of my use, but the time and place was no good. First, I had no idea where it was and second, they were supposed to meet at 2AM. It was 5PM on the clock.

Well, was it not perfect? I could get it all done before they even started.

I picked up my phone and called one of my ex-babysitters.

"Hello! Just in time when I'm getting bored," the familiar voice of a middle-aged man with a thick African-American accent responded the call.

"Hi, Mike! It's Andy.-"

"Yup, I know. It showed before I picked up the phone," he commented, "What is it?"

"Ha ha. Well, I need a favor."

"Yes, of course. You and your favor. Come at me."

"I'm looking for a person called Matthew Myers. Can you check where he's last seen?"

"Sure," he said and returned a couple second later, "Why are you looking for him?"

"He's a client of mine and I think he's human trafficker," I half-lied.

"Hon, he's a lot more than that. We got a long list on him: murders, suspect of several murders, multiple assaults, money laundering, briberies, etcetera and etcetera. No one can get him on trial yet."

"Do you think we can?"

"Heck yeah! We're a hell lot less corrupt than Gotham, but he's in Gotham... That's Bat's territory," he explained.

"Then, let's say we have Bat's permission. Do we have any agent available here for backup?"

"Nope. They're only trainees. We don't even have an agent post there! Like I've said, Bat's territory."

"Hmm, I see... Are the trainees on call?"

"Yeah, why?- You're not going back out, are you?"

"Well...," I rubbed my neck and stared out the window, "It can't be helped. I'll get him out and you can get the trainees to drive him to the headquarter for the trials."

"I suppose we can... Did you really get the Bat's permission?"

"Technically," I shrugged.

"Andy, this is serious. Yes or no. This could be a problem between the government and the Justice League!"

"Okay... Then, we don't talk about it. Do as if it's a private force, which we're also technically are, and never mention about it. Two hours. That's all I'll ask."

"... Dammit," he pouted, "I've spoiled you too much! You, Little Cuddly Monster, you know I don't like stopping good and you make me know it first that you're doing good! You're punching me with my hands tied!"

"I don't know what to say, Mike. I can't physically do anything to you through a phone call; even though, you're partially right," I smiled when he followed his usual pattern where he complained, paused for a while and agreed to my terms.

He paused for a while and settled in, "Fine.- Welcome back, _Nil_."

"I'm glad to be back, _Holmes_."

"And I bet you don't have any equipment on you."

"Nope," I shook my head with an up-to-no-good grin.

He sighed and I could hear him aged another twenty years because of me, before the declared, "A single-use suit is coming in hot. Make sure your window is opened."

I walked to the window and opened it, "Yup."

"Are you in a comfortable clothes?"

I looked down at my grey, split-sleeves top and neon-blue shorts and replied, "In my workout clothes, so yeah!"

"That's good. Brace yourself for an impact on your back in ten seconds after you're ready."

"Okay. I'm ready," I uttered, hanging up the phone, and counted down from ten.

At the last count, the suit flew in through the window and attached itself on my back. The first layer was the skeleton and it quickly spread to my shoulders, arms and legs. Then, it was followed by the inner armor and outter armor, which protected the user from knives and bullets. I waited for it to cover all of my exposed skin and the final piece, the oval helmet with a long, pointy tail pointing to the sky, to turn everything I saw digital and reconnected me with the base.

Once it was ready, I had a chance to take a glance at the glossed, black armor in the mirror and I got to say I liked the pointy exterior-design on my elbows and knees, especially the pointy, scaled pattern on my shoulders and the back of my heels. It was also suspiciously comfy inside; even though, it seemed uncomfortably hard and stiff because of the bullet proof plastic that covered me on the outside. Overall, I looked like a sea creature, but a pretty, dangerous one.

"So, what's new?" I pondered, "Other than the pointy designs that also serve as a weapon, of course."

"Well, the pointy thing on your head is super sensitive to heat-signature and it gives a pretty incredible view of the setting with sonar waves. But, that mostly benefits the person behind the computer... Let me think," he paused and added, "It's biodegradable within one month. That's why it's a single use."

"The guns as well?" I buzzed after seeing it in the holsters on each side of my hip.

"Yup, isn't it great? The evidences will just disappear in time and we can even accelerate its decomposition with water.- Also, the mags and knife below it!"

"I really want to ask how, but I won't," I figured it would take too long and I only had two hours.

"Good choice.- Let's go, then. The target just arrived at a new location a minute ago."

"Okay," I let him take me there. He used to be a pilot after all and I was no where near qualified at flying, or flying in stealth mode.

"So, what's your plan?" he chatted with me along the way.

"Find him, make him spill where the victims are, take his intel as supporting evidence, let you take him away while I help as many victims I can out there. You'll have the footage anyway when you have to get them for the testimony and if you can, skip the kids. They've gone through enough."

"Now, I see," he smirked, "You're not here for him, aren't you? You're not here because you find your client suspicious, but you're here to help the victims. And, that's what the Bat's protégé ask from you."

"What do you mean?" I tried to act innocent.

"Well, I checked out the cameras near your house and found an angle right at your balcony... Why didn't you tell me you talked with Batgirl?"

"Umm... I just thought you won't believe me," I answered without saying the whole truth.

He had the protégé right, but not the one. Well, how could I blame him? There were many of them.

He gave my excuse a thought and replied, "Yeah, I probably won't. Bats are freaking weird. I worked with them once and I would rather never see them again."

I chuckled, "Lucky, you! You got to work with them! They're like myths and you've been in contact with them. (Also... Sorry, but you'll probably see the one I'm with sooner or later.)"

"Ha ha ha, I wasn't even sure if I was actually lucky.- Anyway, you're here," he announced and landed me on top of the building.

"And where am I specifically?"

"His condo," he answered.

"Do you think he'll have all the intel on him? Or, do we have to take him to his office?"

"I think he has it on him. He always carry this briefcase around. It should have something in it at least. If not, taking him to the office won't be hard as well."

"And your trainees?"

"I have them waiting at the floor below. In a few second, they'll shut down all the cameras and we're good to go."

While we waited, I hovered near the twenty-seventh floor of the thirty-ish stories building and looked around until the red and blue dots appeared. The blue dots was below the red, so it was kind of obvious that they were on my side.

"As you can see," he explained, "the reds are them and the blues are us. There're two guards at each exits, including doors, balcony, and windows. A total of ten guys inside and twelve more at sight. If you want to keep it fast, I advise you not to let them get to the distress signal."

"Roger that," I responded, figuring the best way to enter the scene. "How good is the stealth mode?" I wondered.

"It's good enough to make you go invisible for twenty seconds at a time, but you'll have to be fully visible for ten seconds to go on stealth for the whole time again, or fifteen to be invisible again."

"Okay. I think I got a plan and we'll do it quick and slick."

"Alright, but take your time. We still got an hour and forty minutes."

I shook my head, "I would rather not be in rush later."

"Per your usual," he commented and reported, "The camera is down."

"Good."

I dived pass the bodyguards at the balcony and found the man of the hour with his briefcase in front of him within the time interval of being invisible. Actually, I had to give Mike all the credits for finding the guy since he was the one giving me all the direction with the sonar and heat-signature mappings.

Then right before I was forced to be visible again, I was able to point a gun at his head. "Keep quiet and you'll live," I threatened the obese, white man in his mid-forties with the most expensive suit in the one-hundred meters radius.

He turned to me and snickered, "If you don't need me alive, you've already pulled the trigger.- Guar-!"

I quickly chopped his neck before he got any louder. But apparently, those guards got super-hearing or something when they barged in and surrounded the room; my monitor said I need three more seconds to go on stealth.

"Smoke bomb! Smoke bomb, next to the mags!" Mike shouted into my ears.

I grabbed it and spread the smoke all over the room. The sonar mapping started working in place of the sight and I found an air vent on the other side of the room. I took a couple shot at it to get the grille out and then shoved Myers under his expensive desk with the floor-length, modesty panel. By the time the smoke was disappearing, I had already knocked a couple guys out near the air vent and went back to being invisible.

"Damn it! He must've gone through the air vent! Get all unit to search for Mr. Myers!" commanded the head bodyguard near the door.

Meanwhile, I corrected him in my head, 'First, it's "she", not "he". Second, I'm right next to you and he's under his desk. Third, thanks for giving me credits that I could shove that huge ass into the air vent. You're doing a great job, according to my plan.'

After he finished his seven-second instruction, all the other conscious guys swiftly ran out the exit with him and whatever was left to be done was a piece of cake. I swung the man under his table on my back and grabbed his briefcase as I walked across his unit to the balcony with no worries and dropped a floor.

At first, I thought I was in the wrong room, but it was actually because the trainees were in their casual clothes. We should not be so unprofessional; however at time like these, the more blended in we were the better.

I handed the briefcase to a trainee to go through and send them to the base, while the other lifted the man off my back and arrested him. I directed them to change him into an middle-class, old man with new clothes and make-ups and put him on a wheelchair with a cast on his ankle, so they could take him out of the building and drive him away without suspicious. They all nodded understand and once I was assured that they had him locked to deliver, I took off.

"Nil to Holmes, reports from the briefcase?"

"Three shipments are happening at five tomorrow. Right now, all exporting products are standing by at the warehouse," Mike reported.

"Thank you. Please take me there."

"You're on your way," he uttered and revved up the engine, sending me flying like a rocket. I liked it, but hopefully, I did not draw too much attention to myself with the noise.

Within minutes, he decelerated the suit and sneakily dropped me off at the beam of an expensive warehouse. It was after hour and we did not acquired any warrant from the judge unfortunately. Therefore, we were pretty much breaking and entering, if any one found us- well, specifically me; unless, we found something way worse than what we were doing.

"Are you seeing this?" I questioned when all I could see in the dark was clothes and furnitures.

"Yes, but you're not seeing what I'm seeing," he replied, filling my whole screen with the heat-signature the suit detected.

"Oh, my god!" I gasped at the large red clump that suddenly appeared in front of me. "Are those-?"

"Humans underground? I think so."

"I swear to God, I should've shot that asshole in the ankle," my words slipped to him.

"An-Nil, I thought we talked about this. You can't just cripple someone, so they could feel the pain their whole life!"

"Sorry, I slipped. (Although, John would totally agree with me.) And you did, too. You almost said my name!"

"Yes, I know. It wasn't my intention."

"Sure isn't.- Now, do we have a count?"

"Well from the look of it, twenty-five to thirty. There're exactly five more guardsmen walking around, but I can't figure the amount of victims in there. They're too cramp together to make out the actual number."

"The knee," I growled, imagining how many lots the man could have already done.

"Nil!"

"Okay, okay!- Let's go in," I insisted, locating the trapdoor toward the exit and only three meters ahead of the victims.

"How? There're five guys in there waiting for you with loaded guns! And you can't randomly attack people after using the smoke bomb!"

"Hmm...," I thought about it for a while since using brute force was probably the easiest, but not really my style. I liked it more when I could just come in and leave quietly. "You said five men, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then, four seconds per person," I suggested invisibility once again.

"More like three and a half. You've got to take in account of the time you have to get in there and find a guy to disarm," he debated. "And I'm being generous by giving you only two and a half second for that."

"So be it," I declared and jumped off the beam.

"Wait, seriously? Don't you have a better plan?"

"Well, do you? I'll be happy to hear it out," I offered.

"... Nah, I guess we have some time for a little action."

"There won't be much," I regarded and entered the trapdoor to a staircase going down on stealth.

I heard a muffled sound of someone asking 'Who is it?' from below and then, foot steps advancing toward me.

I kept moving forward until I met a man face to face to use the invisibility. I knocked him out cold with a punch and quickly disarmed him, while I waited for the next person to come out and look for the unconscious man.

The second man soon rushed in when I was a couple more steps from the floor, so I landed a hard kick on his temple. He did not last long either.

"Told you, there's barely any action in this," I mumbled into the mic.

"You can say that after you've finished," he observed. "Third person's coming in hot."

"Kay."

I picked up one of the rifles I acquired from the sleeping beasts and swung it like a bat around the corner to surprise him. Honestly, I did not even have a second to disarm the latest guy I just stepped over when the next one ran to help his friend.

I shoved the handle of the rifle at his neck and blown a hit right in the middle of his head. He saw it coming, he just did not see me.

"Oof!" Mike sympathized when he smacked on the ground.

I looked across the room of confused people and found the last guy. He was not quite terrified as he should be when an invisible being was going after them, but in his defense, he was drunk.

I walked up to him and he probably sensed my presence when he reached for his gun. However, his aims were terrible; I could not help but roll my eyes. I took the gun from him and shattered an empty bottle on his head. There was plenty, I did not think that he would mind me using one.

Goddammit, that was almost too easy! I still got a second to spare! But, it was only a second and my whole suit was visible again.

The people saw me; although, they did not even questioned it. They were probably so used to the masked society already, or they were already too miserable to care. Some was hurt and most were women and children.

Myers would have died, if he was here. Well, lucky him, his shoulders would just be permanently busted when I saw him again.

I turned away from the victims and quickly pulled all the guards together at the warehouse, stripped them from their weapons, and wrapped them with the rope they used to tie the victims together.

"Holmes, why don't I have any handcuffs on me?" I puzzled since it could make my life much easier instead of tying a specific knot I had not done for years!

"Nope, not really. Handcuffs aren't really designed to be decomposable, so it wasn't part of the gadget," he explained. "But, ropes are going to do just fine."

"Yeah, yeah, kind of figured that out," I ranted before I returned to the twenty-ish people below. To be honest, I was not entirely sure how to deal with victims. It was not really part of my job back in the days. "By the way, can you call the GCPD to come and get them?"

"Right ahead of you. They should be here in five."

"Cool. And how much time do we have left?"

"Fifteen minu-,"he was cut off by something, but he was back soon later, "Fifteen minutes, but I might have to go sooner. I got to get home and put my kids to bed."

"Oh, it's fine! You can leave early," I told him, while unknotting a victim's hand. "There's not much left to do anyway. Thanks for all the hard work!"

"Yeah, no problem. Call me anytime," he bid and ended the link.

After freeing a couple people, they started freeing each other. Good thing, I asked them to stay put and wait for the police before they left without notice.

Although, I was waiting for a group of six children to sneak their way out. They probably did not want to take a chance with the police to take them home, but I still could not let them go because I promised to take them with me.

As expected, it was not long until a group of kids bravely came up behind me, while I was offering helps around, with one of them acting in pain, "Hey, You! Our sister is having a very bad stomachache. Can we leave now?"

They looked like they had been playing in muds with those nice, warm jackets, but it was reasonably dirty to be in the pit for a couple days. Most importantly, they seemed alright- not permanently scarred from the beginning of the worst- which was a relief.

I smiled under the tinted helmet, acknowledging that it was likely only a plan, but I rolled with it since I needed an excuse to take them away too. I made a quick headcount and offered, "How about I can with you? I think these adults can take care of themselves."

They looked at each other and decided telepathically before they all agreed with a nod.

I walked with them through the shipping containers until we came to a dark, narrow pathway. One of the bigger kids with braids grabbed a thick, metal rod and hit me right at the back. It threw off my balance, but the skeleton took all the strike.

"Woah! That can hurt, you know?" I turned full one-eighty degree to them.

The little ones quickly hid behind the two bigger kids with the weapons. They were going to attack again, but it felt more like they were scared of me.

I backed away a little and tucked the helmet back into the suit, "See, no mask, no nothing. Listen, I'm not going to hurt you, but we have to get going before the police comes, okay?"

"Who are you?" the braided girl that hit me interrogated.

I looked for an answer that would not complicate things and replied, "A friend of Hood."

"She's a friend of Hood!" the little one behind her repeated.

"No! I'm sorry, but anyone can be a friend of Hood! Where's he?" she demanded.

I thought if I was specific enough, they would believed me, so I extended, "Remember, the girl that had ice-cream with him on the street a while ago? That's me. I think it's right in front of your place too right?"

I heard the chatters from the little ones which agreed with me, but I was not getting the vote I needed.

"You're not answering the question! Where's he?! Or we're not going anywhere!" she announced her terms loud and clear and the other big one supported her.

"Well-," I paused.

Out of the blue, the containers started rattling. I called the helmet back on, but I detected no heat-signature. I could not risk the kids being in the way until I figured what it was.

"Get behind me!" I commanded with my firearms ready and at least, the kids listened to that.

It was dark and the sonar mapping was not helping without the heat-signature. The only source of light we got was above our head, but that would be all I needed. I called the helmet off again and prepared to aim and fire as I heard it coming closer. It landed at the edge of the light and revealed itself- himself.

He should not be here, but we could deal with it later. For now, the Red Hood seemed to be coming at the right time to persuade them and he did without saying a word.

All the kids ditched me and ran to him. They climbed all over him until I could only see his red helmet and they stuck like magnets. It was quite heart-warming actually when they expressed themselves to him. Many were not talky but held on tightly, some had to talk it out and some just wanted him in reach and agreed with their peers. He was needed in so many different ways and somehow, he was managing all of it flawlessly and brought them to ease.

At one point, they were comfortable enough to lose their grips on him and he took off his helmet.- I was not sure what I was expecting, but there was a mask under the mask. Typical Jason?- They did their ritual handshakes with some witty comments on the side and a group hug which I watched from a far.

I was glad that they were reunited, but once the police sirens entered the surrounding, it meant-

"We got to go!" I warned and led them to the city. It was for their good, but also at this particular time, the government should never have a description of my suit.

He was behind us, catching the ones falling behind.

When we reached the end, we took a turn at an alley to make ourselves less of a black sheep. The kids got a moment to catch their breath and we got a moment to change.

He took his jacket off and suddenly, his duffel bag landed in front of us.

I lifted my head up and found the source, "A drone?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't want random people going through my stuff, right?- By the way, I like your suit."

I was going to thank him on our next eye contact coming up, but he magically became an ordinary guy with a sunglasses in the shade... Sorry, my brain just stopped working for a second.

"H-how?!" I buzzed, "How did you change that fast?!"

"Oh, that? Pure talent, my dear," he bragged.

I cringed at his words and rolled my eyes, "Oh, my God!" He really got a hang of shutting me off quickly.

I switched the suit off and it reversed itself to its original form before I got on my back. Before I lifted my foot for it to retrieve the panel, I realized something.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, imagining all the good stuff on Gotham's footpath.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot my shoes."

"No problem. I got an extra runners," he revealed and handed it to me from the supposedly over-stuffed bag.

I received it confusingly, "Are you... Mary Poppins?"

He chuckled, "That's new. I-."

"Wait," I stepped into the shoe and it was way too big for me. "Nope, you're not Mary Poppins."

"Because I don't have an umbrella?!" he exaggerated.

"Maybe that too," I shrugged and wore the shoes anyway. It was better than nothing after the suit transformed into a backpack and I was left without shoes.

"Alright, you good to go?" he queried.

"Yeah! And... you're supposed to be blind, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Sunglasses in the shade really narrowed it down to either a blind man, or an agent."

"Okay!" I smiled and took his arm, leading the way.

"You don't have to-."

"Oh, be careful! There a trashcan on your right," I teased.

"Yes, I know. I can _see_ it," he explained reluctantly.

"Well, I just want to keep it authentic," I twisted my lips.

"It's fine. I got this," he paused and pulled out a blind crane, "See?"

It was from the same bag and now, I could no longer predict what else he could stuff in there. I waved my hand, "Nah, trust me. Let me be your guide!"

He laughed, "Oh, God! Hopefully, I don't have to hit any pole to sell the part tonight."

* * *

We made it to the flat a little before eight. It still gave me chills with the appearance, but I trusted him with the interior.

Jason pushed the crooked, metal gate in and it squeaked open. Apparently, it was not alarming anyone but me and I could not not be spooked by this spooky place!

"I'll just wait here," I swallowed.

Did he ever notice how fast I ran in front of this flat before I knew they existed? Dammit, now, I got self-conscious! I might never hear the end of it if he did!

"Chicken?" he teased, which meant he did and I might never hear the end of it.

"No! I'll show you," I growled, pushing myself to the front... Idiot.

What the hell did I just do?! This was his place, he could have traps anywhere! Random shit just might show up! And I had no clue about it!- Oh, whatever!

I stomped up the front stairs and opened the door.

A silhouette of a human figure with its head tied to the ceiling swung with the wind as it greeted me. The rope creaked every time it reached its full potential and the floor would not stop drumming in the dark silence. I froze, holding on to the door...

But... there was no wind around, so it must be the trigger that kept it swinging. No one should be in here, but someone obviously was walking around. And if it was really suitable to be living in, there should a switch to my right and at my reach.- Ah-ha!

I turned it on and smirked when everything lighten up. There was no less than ten kids ready to stone me to death behind the waist-height circle of shoe-shelves and a warm welcome from a hanging scarecrow.

"Your place's quite nice," I reviewed, looking over the greeting area.

It was an old, dysfunctional flat from the outside, but the inside was gold. The warm-lights lit up the open-concept apartment evenly with the different types and colors of chairs scattered to give it a pop of life. Without them, I would have thought this place was a library with the number of filled shelves on the walls and the choice of vintage rugs.

"I know right!" he asserted and once a kid batted an eye with him, his gravitational force immediately increased infinity and pulled them all to him.

"J.T., who's this?" said one of them, climbing up his torso.

Interesting, they were using his initials. Did they know his real name? If so, why would he still wear the mask?

"Well, I guess her initials are A.A., but why don't you ask her yourself what she wants to go by?"

"So why are you here, Double A?"

I wheezed.

"Double A?" he asked the kid.

"Yeah! How come you forgot what you taught us last week? To spell 'cheese', we can say 'double e' instead of 'e' twice, so it won't be confusing. So, Double A."

"I guess it makes sense," I added. "Call me whatever you want."

"So why are you here?"

"Don't be rude," he interrupted, "I invited her."

"Oh, she's your sister? Your brother with wings came by yesterday when you're not here and gave us treats, too!"

"Red Robin came? I thought I only asked Batgirl to take care of you guys for the night."

"Uh-huh, she wasn't handling the programming study very well. It was kinda hard, but he made it very easy to understand. He also told us that they'll help you find these guys because we were worried, but it seems like you got us," the other kid answered and hugged his returned friends.

"Of course, always!" he patted the child's head.

"I think she's the ninja one he talked about," I heard one of the little ones I saved gossiped. They noticed that I noticed, so they whispered even softer.

He probably did not hear it while he listened to another one next to his ear. It was probably a long story, so he diverted, "Let's go inside first, yeah? I'll get cha some warm clothes."

He went on with his business upstairs and I was left loitering around the place. There was not much I could do here as a newbie, except to be stared upon by the children. I understand their curiosity, but that was too many pairs of eyes to try not to look back at.

As a result, I turned to the book shelves and pulled one out. A stamp was embedded behind the cover, 'Property of J.T.', and most of them had it. No wonder how the kids knew his real initials.

They figured that he was either J.T., or he raided all the books from a person with the initials J.T. which was possible. Although, I had a feeling that they thought he raided it for them at first. Then after being with him for a while, anyone could pick up that he was the owner of these books.

Speaking of the devil, I heard his whistles coming down the stairs and I could not help but smile. His worries had left him and he returned to be the fine man he was.

"Hey," he dashed across the hall and wrapped an arm around my waist, "I haven't had the chance to say thanks."

"It's nothing.- I didn't have a chance to say I'm sorry, too," I apologized.

"What for?"

"For the slap and everything I said that might've hurt you... I was upset."

"It's fine, I should be the one saying sorry for being a dick to you and Steph," he enclosed.

"So did you go see her?"

"Yup. She's still pretty bummed, but we'll be fine.- One question: did you leave me any note before you came out? She didn't know where you were when I asked either, so we looked all over the place for you until the police radio said Myer's den was found!"

"No, I thought you knew. You're the one that gave me the file."

"I gave you the file?!- Honestly, I'm not even sure what happened at that time. I remembered the good bits, but then, most of it was all hazy from the fever," he explained. "Did I really give it to you, or did I just unconsciously let it go?" he continued in disbelief.

"You certainly gave it to me," I assured.

"Then, what happened to Myers?"

"He's in good hands," I simply answered.

"I mean where, when, h-."

"So how's your fever?" I changed the subject.

He did not want to let that subject go and stared at me for answers. I did not want to go back at it and I stared right back at him, waiting for one person to give up. But, none of us did and it was getting tedious.

I placed my hand against his forehead and continued with my topic, "Seems like you don't have any fever anymore. How do you feel?"

He smirked and kept on going with his, "Y'know, I'll find it out if yer not gonna tell me."

"I think you're fine and that'd spare me an explanation," I patted his cheek.

"There'll be news tomorrow, Andrea," he threatened.

"Please, don't do this- the threats, the frights. You know it whole-heartedly that it won't work on someone that's not afraid," I smiled and sandwiched his face together until his lips puckered. "See, my hands could've been easily decapitated if you don't like me," I chimed and gave him a peck.

"I personally won't decapitate limbs, but point taken. You do you. I do me. We... haven't done each other, so let's hope you're not another Pandora's box," he prayed and kissed me.

"Ew," little voices sounded in unison. "Ain't that yer ninja sis?" a single voice continued.

"What?! No!" he quickly declined, "She's my date!"

Voices started rattling across the room and they all went into hiding.

"Why are you guys hiding?" he puzzled.

"How can you trust her?! I swear, she'll call da police!" one of them shouted behind the wall.

"No, she wouldn't.- Would you?"

"No. Frankly, I was trying to get away from the police with you guys on the way here."

"See! She wouldn't," he confirmed.

"Then, why did she ran away from the police?"

Suddenly, he turned on me, "Oh, yeah, why?"

"See! She ain't no good!"

"C'mon, Z! Let her talk," but he was not entirely on their side.

So I enunciated, "Well, the suit is kind of a signature to the place I borrowed it from and no one's suppose to know that I borrowed it to help your friends, including the police. Therefore, I have to run away."

It was quite a solid explanation in my opinion and they seemed to be fine with it. There was a moment of silence and then a loud chattering between all of them. They were discussing if I was allowed to stay because I was neither his relative, nor their resource provider.

"You know," I called for his attention, "they're right. They'd get no benefits from being with me and vice versa. It might be best that I'm not here."

"C'mon, they're just overreacting," he shrugged, "I thought they won't be startled by strangers anymore, but apparently not.- You, stay here and don't go anywhere. I'll talk to them."

He crouched down and the braided girl concluded, without waiting for his points, "Well after all, she did save us and J.T. let her in. Maybe we'll let the person he chooses in for this once. So-."

"Wait a sec. Are you sayin' that the reason you're fine with Batgirl, Red Robin, and the others to be here is because I didn't choose them to be with me but they just are because of Batman?- Look who's not getting gummies t'night. I can't believe you gave him more credits!"

"No gummies?!" she pouted, "I was being precautious in case she's a catfish! How'd you know she ain't one?"

"I checked her background! She's good."

"Course, ya did. Ya ain't an idiot! We know! That's why we think she can stay with us."

"Now, you just saying that to get the gummies," he debated.

"No, there's a condition. She oughta show all of us how she go invisible."

They turned their heads to me in unison and I sighed, "I don't mind."

* * *

After I returned home from work the next day, I sneaked behind the apartment and threw the suit away underneath the tree fence. I dumped a bucket of water on it, so it should all be gone by tomorrow... At least, that was what Mike told me.

I made sure the decaying process began before I went back to my room to finish off some calculation for a client-.

"Ding!"

Weird, it was from my phone, but my notification sound was not normally like that. I glided my chair to the device and turned it over.

It read, 'Reminder: Wayne's Fundraising Event at 8 PM.'

"Shit!" I bounced off my seat, remembering that I forgot to buy a dress.

I quickly raided my own closet and nothing was event formal because the me before that had no social life never thought of going to any social event. Worse, I only had shy three hours to get ready. I thought maybe if I looked for one now I might be able to make it, so I grabbed my jacket and busted out of the room.

I was putting on my shoes when I heard him puzzled from the couch behind me, "Where ya goin'?"

"I completely forget about the fundraising tonight, so I'm going out to rent a dress," I answered.

"Oh," he put his phone down and added casually, "You can _borrow_ mine."

I tried to process it but, "What?"

I cared not for his ability to cross-dress, but how could I possibly fit in his dress. Our difference in height, size and shape was too large of a gap to be using the terms like lending and borrowing. I needed clarification.

"Well, technically, it's mine 'cause I bought it, but it's your size. I just like the color."

"Since when did you start buying stuff because you just like the color?"

"When it could be useful. For example, now," he responded.

I sighed, "Alright, you win."

He fetched the dress from his room for me and returned to his phone.

I opened the dress cover and, "Of course, it's red."

"You told me not to buy it for you, but you'd never said that I can't buy it for myself," he excused himself before I even said a word because it was _the dress_.

I shook my head, "I wasn't going to say anything, but thank you."

"Anything for a long-time fan, amirite?" he smirked.

I face-palmed myself at the tattoo mistake, "Fuck me."

"Now?"

"No! It's rhetorical," I blushed and stormed back to my room.

* * *

About two hours before the gala began, I was in the beautifully tailored dress I tried on a couple days ago. Despite the deep-v neck and open-back, the tea-length, mermaid dress remained true to the shape of my body. And not to mention the color, I could not believe he bought it because it was crimson-red.

I smiled at the mirror, shaking my head at his recklessness...

Alright, back to work! I swiftly swept and secured my hair into a French twist with a classic Japanese hairpin. The twist was almost perfect, but I believed the bouquet of white Sakura on the pin must help distract the flaws.

However with all my back fully exposed, I shivered from the cold breeze. So, I put on my bike jacket for now and continued with my make up. It was exactly the same as the day I tried on the dress with the red-burgundy lipstick but a better work on the eye-liner.

I looked pretty solid already, but I added a pair of black, medium-length, dangle earrings anyway. Which it made me noticed, the green-yellowish skin on my neck.

I rubbed some concealer on it and smoothen it out with the sponge like every other day since he gave me these suckers. Pun intended. Also as usual after a moment, it got tedious and I would cuss it out, "Dammit, Jason."

And speaking of the devil, "Knock, knock," he was knocking at my door.

I took my jacket off and responded, "Come in!"

He was all dressed up as well when did as I said and stepped behind me, "How yer doin'?"

"Could've been done a while ago without this," I quipped and giggled because it tickled when his hands brushed my arms.

"Y'know," he kissed my shoulder and whispered, "we can just ditch the party. No one's gonna miss us-."

"Except Steph, Dick and the person you called, Alfie?" I turned around, "Your brother pretty much bribed me to make you go."

"He did?" he seemed amazed, "What was it?"

"Nothing much. Just money, entertainment and drinks."

"Well, Lady," he smirked, closing up the gap between us, "you're in luck. I'm everything you've said and more."

I snickered and he shushed me with a kiss. It was going to be long with our jaws unclenched, but he suddenly broke the spell with his curiosity.

"Did you really agree to that?" he asked.

"No, I agreed because I can tell he misses you. S-."

"You could've just agreed to that."

"So," I continued my interrupted sentence, "I made an educative guess that you haven't seen them for a while out of work hours because... Actually, I'll just end my sentence at 'hours'."

"Just say it. I'm a black sheep."

"I was going to say, you're special and I love that about you," I corrected.

"Black sheep, special. To-may-to, to-mah-to. One just sound better that the other, but it's fine. I love that about me, too."

"Dammit, Jason!" I smiled, "I knew you're going to get cocky once I've said it."

"And you like it," he stated and picked up where we left off but not any further than making-out until my phone reminded us of the time. "We... really need a date to settle this down," he murmured, loosen up the grip he had between us.

"Maybe next week, or the day after in case you miss my day off again," I suggested, moving away from him to complete my look with a silver cuff bracelet that Mike gave me before I left the force.

"Why not both," he smirk reflected on the mirror.

"Promises, promises," I elaborated to his face, "Let's keep it real. A lot of things don't go as planned and who knows where you'll be next week."

"Well, isn't it obvious? With _you_."

"Alright," I scoffed and pushed him out the door, "We're late. Let's get going before there's nothing left."

* * *

At the entrance of the Wayne's Manor, a small crowd was lining against the red carpet with camera flashes every time a new guest appeared. It made me wondered, what would they do if they knew Jason Todd had resurfaced again? Oh well, it was not going to happen anyway.

Jason had the head lights off as we approached them and turned the engine down, which was apparently a feature for this specific Lamborghini model. He took a different turn at the roundabout and the road became darker and darker as we continued driving.

I started tapping my foot to keep the silence away, while the light from the party got tinier and tinier. I knew he was trying to avoid the press, but still, where the hell was he going?!

"Jaso-!" I was not trying to scream his name, but it did caught me by surprise when the wheel on my side got on and over something.

"Oops, my bad," he admitted, "I keep forgetting 'bout that rock."

"I-I think you should turn the headlight on. It's dark," I tried to keep myself together.

"Err," he turned around to see if it was clear and concluded, "yeah, sure."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" I screamed at the thing that suddenly showed up with the light. It was staring at us with the brightest eyes I had ever seen and it had two fucking horns. I was so terrified, my body was practically glued to the seat; even though, it was behind the fence.

"Pfft!" he laughed and I glared at him. He diverted it with a cough and began, "Here, let me introduce you to Batcow, Damian's beloved cow... pet?- I know it's a little ridiculous, but do you wanna come out and see for yourself?"

"Umm, maybe next time when I can see the cow and not something else," I politely declined.

"Fair enough," he shrugged and made a sharp left to park near the backdoor. "You can go in first. It shouldn't be lock."

I nodded and made my way there. It was quite dark with only some side lights. At least, it was not messy and the concrete floor was smooth from the car to the door. There was some stairs before the entrance and hanging flower pots around the rail. It would have looked beautiful if it did not look like snakes in the dark. I turned around to see that he was following me before I opened the door.

There was an elderly man in a black suit vest with his sleeves rolled up. The was the man in black I saw who picked Damian up; however, he was in an entirely role than a chauffeur. His right hand was raising a cleaver and his left hand was locking the raw body of a whole chicken in place. Meanwhile, it's neck was in between the cutting board and the sharp edge of the knife.

I stepped back and closed the door at the moment his knife hit the board. I rested my back against the door and there was Jason quite confused in front of me.

"What's wron-?"

"I really need a less epic entrance from your family members," I rambled.

He chuckled and went in first, while I followed my human shield.

"Good evening, Master Jason," the man greeted, "and Miss Albertsons."

How did he see me? Jason was a huge guy, he should have hid me completely.- Oh, the dress.

I popped my head by his shoulder and responded with an energetic smile, "Hello!"

The chicken was beheaded but forget that. The kitchen looked amazing. The light was lit evenly throughout in a cool tone and every shelves and cabinet was carved and painted ivory. And not to mention, the with marbled island and tiles on the floor. Nothing was discoloring.

"How are you doing, Alfred?" he sparked a small conversation as he paced across the room.

"I am well, thank you," he answered and pick up on his work.

"Is that a new cleaver?" Jason pointed out.- Of course, out of all the other things he could mention on our way.

"Indeed. I'm glad you noticed! I've replace the old one with it last year," he answered. Then, he dropped what he was doing and looked at Jason, "To think of it, it shouldn't have been new if you were home more often, Master Jason."

"No kidding! See you around, Al!" he snickered and opened one of the many connecting doors.

I waved at the man and mouthed goodbye as we left. I was not sure how to speak around him yet. The last time he saw me in person, he did not said a word to me. But, I would like to know him better.

I closed the door behind me and it was almost a complete darkness, except the small light seeping between the crack of the closed curtain. I followed his silhouette until I could see him no more at the end of the way where the light did not shine through, but I could feel his presence and the chatters on the other side.

He took my hand and whispered, "Close your eyes. It's gonna be brighter on the other side."

I snickered, "You're saying like it could be any darker."

"Oh, ya'd think. You obviously haven't been six-feet under," he quipped. "Now, close your eyes."

"Alright," I did as he said and let him guide me.

We walked around something and took a couple steps down until we stopped on a different floor type. It used to be the stage's floor, but now, it was wooden. I did not see it with my own eyes, but the sound and resistant when my heels hit the ground was different.

"You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes toward the ball room that could easily be the size of a soccer court and they still manage to light the room up with one magnificent chandelier in the center and multiple smaller chandeliers where needed from the glass, gambrel roof. Along the sides was the balconies which probably needed clearance to enter through the Manor and the main entrance was at the very end of the hall from where I stood. The entire floor was tinted dark evenly, it was reflecting the chandeliers perfectly like a mirror. And right beside me was the stage we just passed.

"Wow!"

"Mm-hmm," he sounded and snatched a champaign from the server's tray. "Y'know, Bruce probably gets that a lot for having this place, but honestly, they should've said that to the architects. They were the ones that designed it..."

He was rambling something; I was not really listening. My attention was mostly wasted on targeting the server with shrimp cocktail and the rest on Bruce Wayne, taking the stage.

"Are you even listening?" he suddenly queried.

"Yes," I did not hear all of it, but I heard that.

"Then, can you tell me what was I sayi-."

The server arrived just in time. I picked two servings and passed one to him, "You want some?"

"Sure," he sighed before the house light dimmed and a spot light panned at the host.

Mr. Wayne made an opening for the Fiftieth Anniversary of Wayne Foundation. He mentioned a new construction of an orphanage and soup kitchen briefly as a "teaser" and all the guests were pulling out their long notepad. However, a mishap happened before they could even sign their names on the cheques.

The glass roof above the stage shattered and followed with the maniac's laugh. The Clown Prince of Crime descended from the air and stole the spot light.

He shoved Mr. Wayne out of his way and took the mic, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Let me spare you this boring... thing. You see, I've got a task to Gotham's finest disappear, but how so is up to me." A jail-sized bird cage suspended from the sky into the ball room and the green cloud under it spread everywhere. "Nighty night."

People around the cage started collapsing to the ground as they cleared from the cage's landing path. The ones that could escape left, but most were taken out by the sleeping gas. Luckily, we were at the area where the gas was less concentrated, but we still needed a way out.

"We gotta go," he charged and grabbed my arm.

I followed and turned back to catch a glimpse of the situation. It was getting harder to see any details under the cage with the tinted cloud, but I spotted a girl.

"She's going to get crushed," I muttered horrifyingly. "Jason, someone's under the thing!" I alerted.

"Don't worry. The others gonna take care of it," he kept moving. "We have to leave."

I believed him at first until the very last moment when anyone could help her no one was. How could bystander effect happen with all of _them_ around?

Oh, fuck it!

I whisked him off me and ran to save the girl. I heard him objecting my decision from a far, but no one was going to stop me now. I got her out of the way, but I also inhaled to much gas.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of the merry-go-round. My head was heavy, my body was numb and my hands were tied behind this wooden chair. Where the hell was I? No idea... Great start, Andy.

For a second, I was blinded by the industrial lights when I opened my eyes. Apparently, I was transferred to a warehouse with a bunch of rich people. They were also tied up and we were lined up to face each other in a big circle. The girl I saved was next to me.

Well, at least, the girl was still asleep and the place did not look that bad. It was a normal, modern-ish, empty warehouse, despite a whole circus crammed in it of course. My God, the marry-go-round did not even work and all the songs were distorted! For creepy-clown aesthetic, I guessed.

Suddenly, I heard a shuffle. The girl was waking up.- Shit. Someone was coming in too!

It was the Joker and a man in black suit with a plain, white mask followed him, complaining vigorously. He was furious with Joker and soon, Joker had it. He shot the man between his eyes.

The man laughed at the foul play of the trick gun. "Bang!? So funny," he pitied.

"Oh, yes!" Joker snorted, "Bang!"

The shot was louder than before and the man was dead. Worse, it also woke up the girl to see the bleeding corpse.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" she screeched.

Surely, he noticed her. She kept screaming as he approached her with a spray can. I quickly turned my bracelet to its second function. A small blade popped up and I hurriedly cut the rope as he walked pass me to the girl.

Seconds before he could touch a strand of the girl's hair, I took him by his wrist and threw him down on his back. He groaned and tried to used the spray on me, but I was fast enough to turn the nostril to him.

He cracked up when I got him and passed out with a hideous grin plastered on his face. Just when I thought he could not look more like a lunatic, he showed me otherwise with his knocked out face, or maybe his dead face. I was not even sure what was in it, but it seemed to be the same non-lethal sleeping gas he used before.

I scanned the room for more threats and luckily, there was none. I turned to the crying girl. She startled when I got to her too quickly.

"I'm sorry you have to see this. You're safe," I began. "My name is Andrea. Are you okay?"

The seven-year-old girl nodded, still terrified.

"I'm going to untie you okay? Don't go anywhere. It might not be safe out there," I calmly explained as I let her go.

She nodded. I saw her turning to the corpse and I held her face to me. "Is he dead?" she asked.

How should I answer this without traumatizing her more?

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," I replied with a comforting smile, holding her arms.

It was good enough for her. She was not shaking anymore.

"I'm going to tie Joker up and put him in the corner, alright?" I reported every thing I was going to do to her, so she would not be surprised.

I searched Joker's jacket and found many weird tricks of his and a detonator. I had no clue where it was for, but it was in better hand with me. On my way back from putting Joker at the wall, there was a box of cellphones. Mine was not there because I dropped my purse at the Manor, but I had all the numbers in my contact remembered, not that they were many.

I stole- borrowed- one of the cellphones and told her, "I'm going to call the police."

"Hello! Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?" questioned the other end.

"Hi, I'm one of the victim of the Wayne's Gala incident," I stated calmly.

"Please keep calm. Can you give us your address?"

"No, I don't know where I am. But you can track the phone call."

"This is a prank call, isn't it?"

"No! It's not a prank! There's bombs here!"

"Okay, ma'am. Could you describe the location?"

"It's just a huge warehouse with circus stuff, and there's us sitting in circle."

"Ma'am, I don't think you are part of the incident tonight. No victim from any event like this had ever been able to call us. But we'll send you help in like... an hour. Right now, our priority is to keep you safe from the Joker, running loose. Thank you," they just ended the call.

"What the hell?!" I called them again and reintroduced myself the same way, "Hi, I'm one of the victim of the Wayne's gala incident."

They hung up.

I tried the third time and yelled, "I have the fucking Joker in front me!"

Again, they hung up.

Oh fuck you, police! G.C.P.D. must do something with their network! That was ridiculous!

I stomped around and eventually realized I cussed in front of those two big, black eyes.- Shit... I just cursed in front of a child!

I instinctively avoided any eye contact from the innocent soul and apologized to her, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have to use those bad words."

"It's fine," she said quietly.

"Okay, I'm going to call another person. We'll be fine. Don't worry."

Say that to yourself, Andy. You were not even sure if he would answer strange caller.

I called him. He did not pick up, so I called again. Nothing could irritate me more anyway... After several more attempts, he finally picked up.

"Oh my God, Jason! Finally!" I loudly sighed out of builded up irritation, "Do you know how frustrating it is to get be hang up trice by the police and then, wait for your roommate, friend, best friend, date, unofficial boyfriend to pick up after you called him multiple times?! Very... very frustrating!" I cleared my voice with a small sigh, before continuing, "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. Just need to let it out."

"It's fine. Hold on to the phone, I'm tracking it down," he said pretty contained.

"Oh my God! Thank you!" I was relieved.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I heard his engine revved up.

"I'm fine, but there probably are bombs here. I'm not sure if it's timed, or not, but I got the detonator."

"Can you leave the place?"

"I don't know if anyone's out there, I don't want to risk it. I don't think so."

"It's okay. We gotcha."

"You better be here before Joker wakes up again. No one's really liking it when he's up and talking."

"On my way. What did you do to him?"

"I don't really know, actually. Come see yourself. I be waiting here..." I paused when I heard a sound of plane landing. "Is that you?"

"Not me. I'm on the road. Probably _him_."

The girl started curled up to the loud noise, so I hugged her and responded him, "Alright, I'll hang up, now. I'll see you later."

"Mm-hmm. Red Hood, out... Oh, shit... Nothing. Bye."

I snickered and ended the call. That was a little unlike him to slip.

"I'm scared," her voice diverted me from the phone because of the fight outside.

"We're going to be fine," I smiled, putting her on my lap. "Why don't we talk, so you don't have to hear the sound outside?"

She nodded again. She was probably not quite comfortable to talk with me yet.

"Let's start with your name. Mine's Andrea, you already know that."

"Rose."

"Alright, Rose. Are you here alone? Why don't you look around and see if you know anyone here?"

I would not blame her if she could not recognize them right away from her seat since everyone had their heads down. She slowly walked to see each person's face and more specifically men until she found him.

"Daddy," she cried.

I supposed that we had different level of gas intake which made him sleep, but the girl should had had the same as well, if not more. Fortunately, the question was soon answered when small, metallic jewelries around her started defying gravity and moved with her emotions. She was a metahuman.

She looked around the circle once more and found another man.- She was an adopted metahuman.- No wonder, nobody rushed to save her, her parents were long asleep before her because they were normal.

"Will they be okay?" she sniffed.

I kneeled down to her eye-level and assured her, "I think so."

"But you're not a doctor," she argued with a very valid point since I was the one who told her that.

"Well," I tried to think of something not to worry her more and settle all these jewelries down, "you're right, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a meta either and you can see I am awake. So, it's logistical that they will be alright."

My bracelet and earrings went back to its original place where it was pulled down by gravity. She hugged me.

"I want to go home," she whispered and sat down with me.

"You will soon," I promised and the sound of shotguns started coming to play. It worked like his signature, anyone would have known who came.

Although, the exploded gunpowder certainly made the girl shivered. I tried my best to comfort her, but there was only so much I could do.

Minutes later, the fight went silent and the door was kicked open. Jason- Red Hood- appeared from the mist and dusted off his jacket, strapping the rifle to his back. I could not argue, he was quite a badass.

He ran at me when he saw me, but his appearance was not ones that a kid would not tense at. She clenched on me and my earrings began floating.

"Wait! Stop right there!" I demanded.

He did and he was puzzled doing so.

"Hey, hey," I called Rose to my attention, "he won't hurt you. It's fine. Don't be scared. I'm right here."

She began settling down, but she was alerted again when the other Bats came in.

"Alright, Rose. Watch." I turned to Jason, "Red, put your rifle down."

He did more than that. He went down on his knees and took his helmet off.

She unclenched my dress, so I advanced, "You want to go home, right? Let's go."

I brought her up with me and limited her attention between the Red Hood and I, so the others could deal with something else like the Joker and the dead man. I held her hand and walked out the circle to him.

"What about Daddies?" she questioned.

"They'll be okay. The next time you see them, they'll be at home waiting for you!"

She nodded and when we got to him, he slowly stood up. He seemed like he wanted to say and do something, but he was too afraid he would startle the girl. It was awkward since he tried to be distant and we were not moving at all.

"Just give her a heads-up before you do anything," I gave him an advice.

"Yeah, okay.- Umm... I'm just gonna hug her, alright," he said self-consciously.

She looked at me and I nodded. Then, she forwarded my answer to him.

He rushed in, squeezed me tightly and sighed out of relieve. "Holy shit! It's really you. You're okay.- Right?" he whispered.

"Mm-hmm," I hugged him back.

"Don't ever do that again! You scared the hell outta me!"

I patted his back, "You were fine when I called you."

"You have no fuckin' clue! That's the fuckin' Joker! How can I stay calm?!"

"How come you can't stay calm? Isn't he just one of the loonies that breaks out of jail all the time?" I queried.

He stared at me blankly and kissed my temple, ignoring the question as if it was better for me not to know.

"Jason," I spoke quietly and kissed his cheek. I had a feeling that this was also the reason he chain-smoked, "Tell me about it whenever you're ready."

I gave him the detonator and took the girl's hand which tensed up quickly by the laugh of the maniac. Jason put his helmet back on and I bid, "We're going to leave now."

I picked her up in my arms and fast walked to the exit. He came with us for the first part, but he left with an apology, "I'm sorry I let him live for so long."

"Jason?"


	14. Chapter 14

I sat on the couch with my knees to the chest, staring at the dark screen. I was supposed to work today, but my boss sent me home. I knew she had good intentions, but her decision gave me free time. And that was the problem, the freer I was the more time I got to reflect upon myself about the things last night.

Did I kill the Joker?

* * *

About ten hours ago, I was at a warehouse with a meta-girl and dozens of millionaires because of Joker. He was planning something, but it was not executed all the way fortunately because I knocked him out.

However, before the girl and I could leave the warehouse, the Joker was revived from the gas and laughed his ass off.

I still had no idea why he was laughing. What was so funny?

Anyway, I picked up the trembling girl and carried her away. Red Hood accompanied us half the way and then suddenly turned back to the laughing maniac.

"Jason?"

My eyes followed his action, but my hand failed to grasp him when I finally figured what was so funny. That fucking lunatic was having fun because he saw us right under the beam with a bomb tied to it loosely- a timed bomb!

It was at one and I almost felt the time paused when I saw it hit zero.

I grabbed the girl under me as the metal roof and all the construction pieces within one meter radius of the bomb collapsed. I did not want to believe I might die in the circumstance! I was too young! I still had so many things I wanted to do! But at the time, I surely hoped the girl would survive at least...

The clash happened. I heard it happened; oddly, I did not feel any pain if any of the pieces hit me. I opened my eyes and there was a dome of metal scraps formed around us. Under me, the girl held the barrier up with all her might, but it weighed on her too much that her nose started bleeding. Her power drifted away and the dome crumbled around us.

"Rose! Rose, stay with me!" I called as she passed out. I grabbed her in my arms and climbed out of the scraps.

Nightwing, the vigilante in black suit with blue outline of a bird across his chest, helped us out and laid her on a flat plane to make a quick examination. He had so many qualifications to diagnose her from all his experiences with metas. However, at the moment, all I could think was he was Batman's protégé; therefore, he must know what I did not... That was embarrassing.

I slapped myself once mentally and returned to the important person in front of me. I kneeled by her side and held her hand. She should be a lot stronger than I was, but I had no idea. Anything was possible and I hoped for the best outcome.

"Will she be okay?" I pondered.

"Yes," he finally answered, "The medics are getting here.- Are you okay?"

I nodded, feeling some relief when he gave me the news. Although, it did not take long to notice a specific figure missing and then, I was not sure if I was entirely okay. I chanted, "Where's Red Hood?"

Nightwing could not answer my question, so I rushed back to the pile of scrap metals and searched for him myself. Approximately, he should be around two meters away from me... Luck or not, I found him the first place dug into.

His helmet broke in half. His temple was bleeding. His eyes were closed. His body was under an amount of metals and dusts. From my point of view, I could not even tell how damaged his legs could be.

"Jason," I reached to him slowly, praying that he was still breathing-.

He gasped and grabbed my hand. He scared me, but it scared me even more when he stopped moving and stared into nothing.

"Jas-," I called softly.

He heavily sighed, "Fucking hell! Took you long enough!" and began shifting himself out of the pit. "Can't believe it's official. I'd rather die, than dig myself outta 'ere again," he murmured to himself before going silent. And somehow, his silence put me in guilt.

"I'm sorry," I apologized without knowing what it was for.

"It's not your fault," he admitted, "It's _mine_."

"What do you mean?"

He stood up and patted the dust off himself, explaining, "It means nothing."

"It can't mean nothing!" I held him off from going anywhere. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he ceased, pushing me away.

I caught up with him and blocked his way, "But, you're obviously not. For God's sake, you just said you'd rather die!"

"Then, what do you want from me if you already know the answer?!" he raised his voice.

"I just want you to be honest!" I matched my voice to his.

"Honest? Then, what?" he snapped, "You'll just pity me like the others! Pity, but you don't care! Because it's not your fucking problem! You weren't born fucked up! I was!- Mom overdosed. Dad's in jail. _He_ took me in and I still managed to fuck it up! I died, Andrea! I died... But, guess what, even hell had rejects and I was sent back here in a fucking coffin! But, I wasn't any better. Worse, I can't get rid of the fucker that killed me! And not for the lack of trying, thanks to the very person that gave me a chance not to be fucked up.- You see, I tried. Tried to be better. Tried not to be haunted by that fucking loony. Tried to move on. Yet, that piece of shit is still here _alive_! Right in front of me! But, I can do nothing because that Bat-shit ain't gonna let me take his favorite toy away!- Now, do you understand?"

He stopped and looked down at me. He was studying my reaction, but it probably did not go well.- I jumped at every move he made; even though, it was far from threatening.

A depressing sigh escaped him. He took the rest of his broken helmet off and tossed it to the ground. He only did that and I flinched like he did something way worse.

He shook his head and walked away disappointly, "Feel free to pack your stuff out whenever you want."

I felt his distance, but I could not chase him. He dumped tons of information he was never going to tell me about himself and expected me to digest it right away, but I could not do it fast enough. How could I know how to react when I did not even know what I was reacting to?!

Dammit! Think on your feet, Andy! Think or you might not see him ever again! Or... think _nothing_ at all.

I shut my eyes and replayed what he told me in my head until I absorbed every single word. Then, I stopped thinking and let my heart decide.

I ran to him and grabbed his wrist. "No," I denied his offer and stepped in between his arms. The motion was exactly like the time I proved that I could bite him with an embarrassing peck on his neck. However, this time I aimed for his lips and it would not be embarrassing to prove that he could not chase me away that easily.

"Mmh!" he moaned at the surprise and hesitantly kissed me back. Although, he was glad. His arm wrapped around me tightly as if he was never going to let me go again and I held him closer.

I cupped his face and smiled when our lips parted. I rested my forehead against his and took off his ear protection. I wanted him to hear what I was going to say himself.

"You're the best thing that happened in my life!" I whispered, "You're okay that I'm not exactly normal and... a little weird sometime. You're always there when I need you and you show me the potential of unpredictability. Like you, you happen when I least plan of. Yet, here you are- my roommate, my best friend, my love. I could've never been happier when I'm with you!" I rocked myself closer to him and continued, "Thank you for being with me and I want you to know that when you think 'no one will ever bother' I do."

I distracted him with another kiss and stole his gun. He noticed it, but he was not against it and watched me advancing to the lunatic. He surely hoped I knew what I was doing and so did I.

I knew Batman and Robin were busy deactivating the bombs, so I only had one shot before they noticed me. I plugged my ears with the protection and kneeled down to face the lunatic.

"Whatcha gonna do, Woman?" he taunted with a large smile across his face like he was not afraid of the loaded gun under his chin.

I smiled back at him and he began to lose his. He tried to wiggle his way out of the handcuffs and rope around his arms and legs.

I slammed him back against the wall and replied, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I tell you."

I watched him become devastated for a moment, but he soon accepted his fate and grinned. It was haunting, but I knew it was the last time I would see the Joker's face...

I pulled the trigger and six more- one on each shoulders, knees and ankles- before I dropped the magazine and surrendered to the figure behind me.

It was Batman, but he did not arrest me yet. He was only brooding to make all my hair stand. Or maybe, it was the face in my view that was no longer a face but a clump of blood, muscles and fractured skull.

"What now?" I turned around to see him with me hand raised and probably a bloodied face.

"He's not dead," Batman grunted as if he knew I knew.

"No, he doesn't deserve to die," I disclosed, "That's too easy. I want him to live- live without a face, live in pain whenever he laughs, live in the discomfort of living- because dying is the peace he doesn't deserve."

The big man narrowed his eyes at me and stomped pass like it did not happen. I still waited for him to arrest me at the same spot, but he did not change his mind and left the scene when the medics arrived.

I guessed he was going to deal with me later... I squatted down and slouched on my knees. It was quite a stressful evening and also disgusting. I hated it when I got blood on myself and ruined a perfectly good dress. That was also the reason I usually aimed for the joints. The blood would not splash so much there and it would immobilize them for life. But, the face... that was a lot-.

I sensed a shadow overcasting me, so I lifted my chin to see who it was. And it was none other than the Red Hood, reaching his hand down to me.

"Let's go home," he said.

* * *

The answer was a solid 'no'.- I did not kill Joker.

Joker did not die unfortunately, but he would not be living either. Most of my worries were for the girl. She saved my life, but I could not do much for her. It was such a shame-.

I heard the door unlocked, so I turned something on the T.V. to brighten up the dark room. He was the rest of my worries and I also did not want him to worry that I was thinking too much.

"Hey," I greeted, without taking my eyes off the screen, and tucked the cold mug of coffee from the sofa table within myself.

His response maintained the same tiredness I gave him, "Hi." He tossed his duffel bag by the kitchen island and came to sit down on the other end of the couch.

For a moment, none of us dared to interrupt the broadcast. Not that there was anything important on it, I just could not think of what to say. Maybe, he felt the same.

I peeked at him and quickly shifted back to my coffee when our eyes accidentally met. I could not look at him, I was too insecure of my previous action.

I knew what I did last night was not some typical reaction and I could not imagine how he would react to it or what it made us now... I sent the Joker to hospital with his face blown away after all.

I kept staring at the coffee. It was no good, but it was something for me to focus my eyes to.

"How are you?" he finally broke the silence.

"I-I'm fine."

"Hmm... I've just talked to Bruce."

Bruce? That was a new name... He should fit in the list of people I had never seen with Cass.

"Batman," he corrected himself.

Well, now, my claim was false. I had seen Batman.

"... Yeah," he filled in the quiet gap.

"Okay," I nodded. "So, should I go to the station for aggravated assault or self-defense (if it's even valid for my situation)?"

"Actually," he paused for suspense and continued, "you're not charge of any crime."

"What do you mean?" I placed the mug down, "He didn't frame you, right?"

"No, no, he did no such thing. He framed it on the dead guy in the warehouse."

"But the autopsy... He's dead way before I shoot Joker-."

"Let _us_ worry 'bout that."

"... Okay," I mumbled and picked the mug up again. I had to concentrate on something irrelevant, so I would not have time to think about the things that were relevant.

Suddenly, a hand covered the top of my mug and grabbed it away like a claw machine. I followed it, but he blocked me.

"It's already cold," he commented.

"I know..."

He cupped my face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Honestly?" I pondered because I was not sure of it myself.

He nodded, so I thought about it harder.

"I-I feel like I've let you down," I confessed, instinctively avoiding the eye contact.

He did not fill in the void and let the silence forces words out of me.

"I don't know... You praised me for being calm, but how do you know I'm not just cold. Maybe, I'm just brutal and cruel and if I am, the problem is I don't see that... You know, sometimes I'm a little scared of myself and I'm afraid I might hurt someone without realizing it."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know... Probably when you dropped me off, left without a word and never came back until now. I thought you were mad... disappointed. So I gave myself some timeout to reflect upon myself and it kind of comes up."

"Well," he shifted closer to me and rested his head on my shoulder, "Sure, you're pretty brutal out there, but that's Joker. He deserved every single bullet. And considering that your concerns for the people are real, you're far from cruel and/or cold. I don't see why I've got to be mad or disappointed.- Didn't you see the note I left on the table?"

"Yes, I saw it. You wrote, 'We'll talk later," but that's exactly what you'd say to someone who's in trouble for doing horrible things."

"Err... no. It's 'We'll talk later' as in we'll talk later. I thought 'We need to talk' is the one that means trouble.- Bruce uses that _all_ the time," he elaborated with his hands mimicking his meanings.

I saw where he was coming from, but he was still wrong. I shook my head and questioned, "Then, where were you all night?"

"Well, I left to finish the report for the case and check how's the kids doin' at the flat. They weren't very good. A couple of them caught a cold because it's gettin' colder outside, so I stayed the night."

"You could've texted me," I countered.

"You didn't look like you want to talk about it, so I didn't wanna force you," he shrugged and dug a space behind my back to lie down across the couch.

I moved away to the other chair, presuming that he wanted the space, but he pulled me back on to the same spot by my waist. "Woah!" I cried, "What are you doing?"

"Where yer goin'?"

"No where."

"Then, stay here," he requested and opened his arms.

I smiled at his indirect demand for cuddle and positioned my head on the armrest, so I could have him rest on my chest. He was a little confused at first with the role reversed from what he anticipated, but he did not object to be nurtured and quickly found his comfort spot between my shoulder and breast.

He closed his circle around my waist and grumbled, "I'm so tired."

"Hmm," I sounded, petting his thick hair.

"I stayed up all night," he uttered.

He was probably up to make sure the sick kids were okay, but, "When have you never?"

He chuckled.

"Now, catch some sleep. I'll make sure everything is fine."

"Mm-hmm... Thank you," he said, but I sensed much more.

I nodded and reflected the affection with a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

A couple hours later, I heard his phone received a message, but I did not bother him because there was only one. And soon, he woke up on his own anyway.

"You're still here," he noted.

"Of course," I smiled.

He smiled back and checked the message on his watch.

He stared at it concerning, so I questioned, "What's happening?"

"Penguin is out of Black Gate with a... giant penguin robot?" he was not sure what he was reading himself.

"Oh. Do you have to go?"

"It's fine. Signal's on it," he stated and scootched up to my eye level.

And I noticed his eyes turned from turquoise to icy grey when he came out of my shadow. "Your eyes," I pointed out before he kissed me.

"What 'bout 'em?"

"They're beautiful," I complimented.

"Well, now, I'm also flattered," he smirked and planted a long kiss on my lips. He rolled himself to the top and hid his face under my chin.

"Jason, I got work tomorrow."

"Mm-hmm," he sounded and sucked on my neck anyway.

"You don't care do you?" I snickered.

"Eh," he confessed, "I'll try not to leave too many."

He kissed me again on the mouth and suddenly, we saw a glimpse of a yellow beam breaking through our balcony's concrete.

"What was that?" I pondered and a man in a black and gold, metallic armor that resembled mine stood up from the hit. He dusted the crumbles off himself and flew back to where he came from.

Jason jumped over the backrest to his duffel bag as the City Alarm and the Evacuation Alarm went off.

"What's Signal doing here? Isn't Penguin supposed to be Downtown?" I buzzed, getting my jacket and the emergency supplies to leave the building.

"My thought exactly," he responded, changing into his uniform. "And how the hell did he come Uptown?"

I could not answer his question either. I was about to leave the apartment when I asked one more question, "Are you coming back home after this?"

"Well, probably," he replied, putting on his helmet and preparing to leap off the balcony, "I'm just going out to check the flat.- Shit!"


	15. Chapter 15

It was another dark busy morning in Gotham. Currently, nothing could stop the engines from moving forward. The sharp strong digging claws of the robot left significant eagle-like foot prints on both the road and the houses it destroyed on its way. The thick one-piece white shield on its chest and legs protected all the small weak bits and pieces that worked like a nervous system inside the mechanic. The hard black metallic pieces that were wielded together covered from the back of its ankle to its head like a long hooded cape. The dark sleek wings on its side were equipped with multiple different destructive weapons. Lastly, on the top, the pale coned face hosted the controller behind an orange beak-shaped indestructible glass on its tip. Lovely, no one would have known it was Penguin.

Batman was there long before with other Bat members, except Red Robin and Red Hood, but the robot Batsuits had just arrived after a series of little damaged fight with the giant penguin. I looked behind me, and Jason was gone from the scene without a word. He might have believed that I could handle myself, which was absolutely correct. I took the elastic band on the table and tied my hair back into a high pony tail. All my works and important informations were uploaded onto iCloud, so I just took my phone and a coat with me, before exiting the building. My clothes, pajama long-sleeved shirt and pants, were not hideously inappropriate, so I did not change. I had not the time anyway. Right now, escaping the building and avoided being a stationary target was the best thing to do until the police, or whom ever concern, could take control of the place.

I ran out the door, after putting on a comfortable light neon blue sneakers, and took the stairs down the apartment. I dashed to the left and behind of the dangerous object, staying away of the target range in front as far as possible. However, I could not believed that at such a critical point I still picked up victims, running into the red zone both old and young, on my way to the green zone. To be honest, it was not really a safety zone, just a spot that had the least probability of falling into danger, but it was better than not helping out at all.

Several minutes later, I brought them to a secured shelter behind the penguin robot and checked how the situation was. The machine eventually stationed in front of a smaller Wayne's tower and destroyed it to the ground with bazookas out of its shoulders. Luckily, the building was most likely emptied from the evacuation. However, nothing seemed to be able to cut through the penguin; even though, the fight lasted for almost a quarter of an hour.

Batman decided to tear the wielded metals on its back apart with his strengthened robotic hands and hot flaming finger tips. The others with the suit did a similar process and dug into the nerves system of the robot until it shut down from the lost of important pieces.

'I surrender! I surrender!' Oswald Cobblepot opened his beak like a man without pride. 'Just take me!' he cried, showing his hands, and waited for one of them to put handcuffs on him.

That was the end of the fight. The only significant thing Penguin had done was collapsed an insignificant small building until he was out of ammo. I had no idea, what was the reasons he took it down, but I could tell, this was only the beginning of an unknown war.

'Let's go,' I softly spoke to the victims, bringing them out to the sun.

Nightwing noticed us on the path and land on his feet after swinging across the standing tall buildings. 'Thank you. I'll take them from here,' he said calmly, standing next to me before moving toward an elderly.

'You're welcome, and thank you,' I responded, tugging the coat tighter on me when the northerly wind blew into the city gap. 'Oh, my God! It's getting cold ain't it!'

I shuddered, and the next moment, there was an autumn-toned leather jacket on top of my coat. At first, I could not sense anyone behind me at all, so I unintentionally attacked the person behind me. Fortunately, he could block an attack by a fifth degree black belt easily with one hand. If he could not, my hand would have been extremely swollen from punching the helmet. 'Oh, Lord! I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean to!' I quickly withdrew and apologized.

'Forget it. Let's go home. They'll take care of the other things,' said the man under the Red Hood, giving Nightwing a thumbs-up.

Nightwing returned him the same signal.

'We're good to go,' he continued, pushing his hand behind my back.

'Thank you,' I said, but it turned into a mumble, as we paced down the same old road.

'What was it?'

'I said, "Thank you",' I repeated.

'You're welcome. It's such an adventurous week, isn't it?'

'I think I should go back home. I'm not paid enough to stay in Gotham.'

'What would you do at home? You intended to leave your job behind?'

'There's nothing to do back at home, but it's a lot safer. Maybe I'll just move and get a job in Canada, and then, I'll keep on living my boring life.'

'Don't you have to stay here until the contracts at your working place end?'

'You're right. If I moved now, all I did here to build my reputation would be severely damaged. But that might worth it! Canadians will understand the hardship of being in Gotham.'

He paused at the entrance of an empty dead-ended alley.

'Something wrong?' I questioned two steps in front of him.

'I'll need my jacket back for a minute,' he said.

'Sure,' I gave it back to him. It was surprisingly light to know what was cramped in the pockets.

'Wait, here,' he bossed, taking the jacket, and disappeared into the alley.

I rolled my eyes listlessly and mumbled to myself sarcastically, 'Yeah, take your time. As long as, I'm not frozen to death.'

'C'mon, I swear, I didn't take more than twenty seconds,' he responded, walking out of the alley as Jason Todd with a dark blue sport cylinder bag across his chest. He was still in the same clothes with no guns and another similar jacket in black and a solid red T-shirt under. Also, his hair stayed up again, after taking off the helmet.

'How did I not know he's you since the first day we met?' I questioned myself out loud with an obvious smile, heading home after the stop. 'Maybe, it's you that made my life berserk.'

'But you're the one who called the number.'

'And you accepted the call, you didn't have to.'

'But you decided to stay.'

'Because it's hard to find someone that has the same obsession and weird hobbies.'

'So you're staying?'

'Yeah, of course, I am! Where will I go?...,' I realized what I said which was against what I thought of doing before. 'Dammit! No, no, no, I'm leaving!' I turned around, bumped on his shoulder, and walked away.

'Where cha going?'

'Somewhere! I don't know! Anywhere is better than next to a trickster!'

'Seriously! You just said, you're going to stay!' He rotated toward me.

'That doesn't count! You tricked me to say it!'

'You're not expecting to be mad and receive a get-back-together gift, right?'

'Never will I ever expect such a thing from Jason Todd!' I shouted, stomping across the road with partially damaged side walks.

'Good! See ya at home!' He shouted back across the road, waving.

I flipped him off, not really hearing what he said because of the car loud engines, but I was not that mad. I continued my walk and turned around on the nearest corner. He might not realize yet that I took his wallet when I bumped onto him. He would soon when he needed the key card to get in, but by then I was free to do anything with it.

I went into an undamged clothing store and picked out a casual black a-line sleeveless dress with pointed flat collar dress and a black five-by-four leather shoulder strap bag. I changed out of my pajamas and paid for the clothes with one of his cards. I took off to reserve a table at a Korean Barbecue. This was the first crime, I ever committed in my life. He might kill me, so I better did what I would not regret getting punished for.

I sat down on the bench-like seat that could fit two people on each that the waitress brought me to. She gave me a menu and left for moment.

'Could I get you some water?' she questioned once she returned.

'A glass would be nice, thank you,' I replied, not taking my eyes off the menu.

'Okay, two glasses of water,' she confirmed the order, and left.

Did she mistaken my one as two?

I placed the menu down and found out that Jason was sitting on the similar seat across me.

'What the heck! How long have you been there?!' I exclaimed out of surprise.

'That was my reaction when I saw the notification on my phone, too... The answer to your question is, for the past minute, or so. You didn't have to be that surprised.'

'Of course, I was! You didn't make a sound when you got here. Well, actually, half of me expected to see you sooner.'

'Anyway, I'm hungry. Order something, and by the way, nice dress.'

'Thank you. I picked it out myself,' I appreciated and ordered a set for two. The waitress took the order and turned on the hot plate on the table between us.

'You know that stealing someone's wallet and using their card without permission is a crime, right?' he began when the waitress left.

'Said the Crime Lord.' He had a really serious face on, not taking the joke, so I pouted with my fingers crossed behind my back, 'Okay, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!'

'I'm not falling for that! Who do you think I am, your dad? Gimme my wallet,' he commanded.

Part of me wanted to end it and return the wallet, but most part of me wanted to know what he would do, if I did not. I smirked and played a baby girl, since he started off with the dad thing. 'Gasp, Daddy! You didn't have to be so mad... You wouldn't want those dangerous eyes to prey on your innocent baby girl in pajamas, right?'

'That's a turn off. Don't even think of playing that role!'

Very well then, I tried out another pronoun. 'Really, my Lord! If your princess didn't have such support from you, I wouldn't feel as safe like I am right now in this dress...,' I continued flirtatiously, messing around with the soft clingy tone.

'Seriously,' he said, making his way next to me.

Oh, shit! I knew at that point that I was losing the game. I had my hand on the zipper of the bag that had his wallet, so he could not open it, as he paced closer and sat on the seat next to me, cornering me against the wall. 'Milord?'

He held my back in place, but before he could say a word, I cowardly gave him back his wallet.

'Give up?'

'Ahem, yes. Now, let me go,' I returned to my usual tone.

He released me and grinned victoriously, returning to his seat. 'That was easy,' he claimed.

The sever came by and dropped off the raw meats in plates and two bowls of rice.

'What did you plan to do?' I questioned him, after the sever was gone.

'Probably, just sneak my hand into the purse once I had a chance.'

'That's pretty classic. How long did it take you to know it's gone?'

'I don't know, but it's long enough for you to buy that dress and the bag. I shouldn't have let my guard down with you.'

'Lol, I'll do better, the next time I got mad.'

'I'll make sure you won't do it again.'

'Make sure I'm not mad at you, and your wallet will always be in your pocket. I can assure you that.'

'That's the hard way, I can do that easier. If you ever pickpocket someone, including me, again... I'll punish you myself.'

'Spank me! It would be such an honor to be punished by you,' I dared him.

'I'll lock you with a lunatic,' he threatened.

'Be my guest, I'll make it out somehow.'

'That's brave.'

'Thank you. Try this, it's pretty spicy,' I continued, picking up the meat on the rack with chopsticks and placed them on his plate.

'Thanks. I got a question and be honest with the answer. What do you scared, or fear, of the most?'

'I don't know. Maybe we'll have to wait until Scarecrow scared the hell out of me, to know what I'm scared of.'

'Height?'

'No.'

'Inside a cramped space?'

'Er, no.'

'Starved to death?'

'Well, death in general is an unfortunate truth, but if I have to die like that, I'm not scared of it.'

'Brought back to life?'

'I wouldn't mind, if I can live twice.'

'Dogs?'

'Don't like them, but no.'

'Losing someone you love?'

'Well... everyone will die in the end. I came to except it, so no.'

'Failure?'

'No.'

'Clowns?'

'No.'

'Falling in love?'

'Definitely not!'

'Lying?'

'That's my second name!'

'Very bold of you to admit that. Betrayal?'

'That's what my plan B is for, so no.'

'Well, we'll have to get Scarecrow, then. I'm out of subject I could think of.'

'Actually, I really hate a messy place, so I might partially also scared of it.'

'That's torture. I will never put you in such a place.'

'Good to hear. How is it?'

'It's good. You should try this.'

After a length of random conversation like judging someone on the road based on their appearance, we walked home.

'I hope the cat is not pawing on the pizza at home,' I began, opening the door.

The room looked exactly the same since the time we left it. Nothing was extremely damage, except the vase the scattered on the floor.

'We both are already tired and really need a long bath. Well, at least, I am... Rock, paper, scissors, who ever loses clean up?' he suggested.

'Totally, agreed. At shoot?'

'Yup.'

'Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!' I hosted. We both had papers, so we tried again. Several tries later, no one won. 'Why don't we help each other clean up, and I could take the bath while you use the shower, or vice versa? No other deep intentions, just wanna get over it.'

'...Okay,' he hesitated, but most of him also wanted to get over it.

I placed the coat on the hanger and let the body-temperature water ran into the tub. I came back out and helped Jason picking up the broken pieces of glass and the withered flowers. Luckily, it fell on the wooden floor, so we did not have such a huge trouble with like the carpet.

'Erm, about the bath, can I take a ten minutes shower first?'

'Yeah, tell me whenever you're done.'

I had a wash up in the shower with my hair up bun, as I let the bubbles going in tub. I dipped my body in the tub concealed with bubbles, before texting him on my phone that he can come in.

He opened the door and turned straight into the shower. He walked out five minutes later with a towel around his waist, but before he did, he questioned, 'How long are you going to be in there?'

I check the timer on my phone, and answered, 'Another twenty minutes. Well, make it thirty for rinsing.'

'I won't have a chance today, then.'

'You can join me, if you want. I trust you.'

'That's why, I hesitated... but yeah, I'd like to.'

I scooted to the front a little, so he could sit behind me. As he placed himself in the tub, the water raised up to my shoulder, almost twice it did when I dipped myself in there.

We both sighed in correspond, having enough of the experience, and leaned backward. He settled against the pillow on the edge, and I settled on him as my pillow. It was just a quiet relaxing moment with us bundling together in the water for half an hour.

'I'm out,' I alerted him.

'After you,' he said with his eyes still closed and his head on the pillow.

I stepped out and wrapped the towel around me. I changed into my usual red tartan pajamas in my room, and by the time he came out, I was in front of my iPad watching Disney's Moana. Gotta admit, no one would ever be too old for a Disney movie.

Oceans, seas, water... The water in the tub raised about seven centimeters when I got in, and it raised another twelve centimeters when he joined. I was about fifty-nine kilos which was pretty average, I supposed. Fifty-nine divided by seven was... calculator said around eight point five. Eight point five times twelve would equal to Jason's weight. Eureka!

...

My God! He was more than hundred kilos?!

I paused the movie and looked over my shoulder to see him near the kitchen, pulling out the left over pizza box from the fridge. I continuously shifted my focus between him and the calculator on my phone.

No way, no way... I must have done something wrong on the Math, believed a Finance Major who worked with Math for approximately five years at least. There was no way, too, that I used the wrong method. Maybe I loss weight? Not possible, I thought, I even gained some because I was not exercising regularly.

I could not doubt myself further, so I just confronted it. 'Jason, how much do you weigh?'

'Hmm, why don't you take a guess.'

'Hundred-ish kilos?'

'Say that in Imperial.'

'Er... two hundred twenty-ish pounds? Please tell me, I'm not right.'

'Spot on! How did you figure it out?'

'Impossible! There's no way, you can't be that heavy!'

He moved his eyes side way, and inquired, 'Why not? Bruce is also two hundred something, and not to mention, Damian, that kid... is growing pretty fast.'

'This is very hard to imagine. It's like, I've been looking at an illusion all these time!'

'How much do you weigh?' he asked me.

I smile evilly, nothing evil was intended, just my style, and told him, 'Guess.'

'One thirty?'

'Yeah, around there.'

'An average.'

'Well, at most, I get to know that, no matter I strong I could be, do not pass out in front of my bedroom door.'

'I don't intend to, but why?'

'Good, because the doors are made to be pushed to open from the inside. So, if you were to pass out in front of my door and I'm inside, I will likely not be able to push the door open.'

'Then, that's a whole new story! I'll have to try it out one day,' he smirked, and sat on the empty seat.

'Don't you dare.'

'We'll see.'

'Come on, just look at yourself, and compare it to mine,' I reasoned, pointed out what I said with my hand, 'Biceps, chests, packs, and me? Fats, fats, fats! I don't have to be a fortune teller to say that, there's no way I will push you off the door!'

'I agreed..,' he said, before bursting into amusement.

'Congratulation, you just burnt me into ash,' I responded, clapping slowly.

'Did I burn your fats with it, too?' he continued and laughed at his own joke.

I rolled my eyes, realizing that I just dug my own grave, but I just had to join with at least a smile because that was actually a good one. 'Alright, I'm going to brush my teeth and prepare for bed,' I announced for no reasons.

'I should, too.'

I stopped at the sink in the bathroom, and he was following me. 'Erm, why are you here?'

'To brush my teeth.'

Well, we were so done with life that we had a bath together naked, and nothing really happened. I guessed, nothing would result from just standing next to each other fully clothed in front of two different sinks. 'Here,' I passed him, his mug, and started rinsing my tooth brush.

'Thanks.'

'Yew welkum,' I said "You're welcome" the best I could with the brush in my mouth.

He stood still staring at the mirror that stretched from his side to mine and holding his laughter in.

'Wut?!'

'Pfft!' he wheezed, enchanting my concern.

I narrowed my eyes and interrogated him again, after I gargled the paste out of my mouth, 'What are you laughing about? I don't understand.'

'Nothwing,' he replied with his mouth full of bubbles.

It was just eyeing at first, before the looks turned into absent stare. I did not know the reasons, but I kept on staring at him. I used to be able to stop myself from those awkward scenarios, thinking of him as a friend; however, ever since he asked me out, I had been checking him out more than I wanted to accept.

'Damn, you're hot,' I accidentally said it audibly, but I did not realize it until he arched an eyebrow at me.

He finished up and replied, 'Err... I'm speechless... Thank you?'

'... I said that out loud, didn't I?' I tried to keep it cool and concealed, and I felt like I aced it.

'Yup, but no harms done.'

'Well, that obliviously doesn't count the harms you've done when I fall in your trap called love.' The negative part of the cool and concealed me that I mostly used to hide my embarrassment was, I became rediculously smooth.

'Pardon me, I didn't really catch that.'

'What's the point of explaining a joke? Just wait for it. You'll understand.'

He stood dumbfounded for a second to replay what I said. He looked away and started shaking his head side to side once he got it. He chuckled a bit before talking. 'Smooth, very smooth... Can't believe I fall for that there.'

'It's fine. I'll always have your back when ever you fall, Babe, but if you're falling for me, then I couldn't help you as much when I'm for you.' I got presumingly better at it apparently. I stepped backward a little, very proud of what I achieved, and shot him randomly with my finger gun. 'Bang! Bang! Bang! You'll never overcome my smoothness, Jason!'

'Aw, c'mere,' he said, opening his arms.

I might be walking into a trap, but I did not really care. I jumped right in.

'Good choice! If you didn't do it, your lips would be bleeding by now,' he commented with his hands around my waist and mine between us.

'You're going to punch me?'

'Yeah, you can say that.'

'Why?'

'Cause yer being too adorable.'

'Aww, thank you, but I still don't really get where you going,' I responded, looking down and shifted side to side. 'But,' I continued, but he silently stopped me with his gaze.

He kissed my forehead, and I received it with gratitude. He let go and punched his lips on to mine, holding me against the sink. He made the moves, I secretly was waiting for. The taste of mint was there, and so was the scent of soap all around.

He was a real passionate kisser that could melt anyone instantly, and I was absolutely no match for him at this area of subject. Soon, I could not catch up with the long maintained rhythm, so he paused for me to breath. I was panting, and it was noticeably heavier, than I expected. As I was recovering, he carried on and sucked right above my collar bone.

After a minute, he stopped and sighed with a little smile. 'Hey, Sunshine, you're gorgeous, but I'm exhausted. Five days without sleep and two more fights in a row seems to caught up. As the matter of facts, we've been together for a while, and I don't want our first time together to be a let down.'

I was amazed by how he thought about us, and I understood what he had to go through each day.

I gave him a small peck on the mouth and responded, 'Well, you already know, my room is always open for cuddles.'

'I'll be there,' he promised.

'I'll see you, there,' I replied, reflecting the little smile, and got off the counter.


	16. Chapter 16 (Christmas Special)

Hi Readers!

I made a short silent chibi-comic about how the ginger tabby cat was adopted by the Red Hood. Hope you like it!

Backspace every spaces in between the URL below, before searching it up to read. Enjoy!

 _ **drive . google . c** **om /o** **pen?id=19e11sEvg1qq6BCzOLS9PFDO0gmHncbPN**_

Merry Christmas,

Anon001


	17. Chapter 17

He was holding me from behind when I woke up. I shifted a little to see the time, and the action woke him up.

'Good morning,' he whispered.

'Good afternoon. It's already one,' I greeted and corrected him.

He scoffed in respond.

'You can stay in bed, while I go out and do something else.'

He scoffed the second time and held me tighter.

I sighed and turned toward him. He was sleeping around my waist, and his head was below my chest as a result. I patted him. He did not seem to mind, so I did not stop. Soon, I fell asleep again because there was not much to do.

About three hours later, his phone rang the notification sound. He rustled over to the bedside table and rolled back in after reading the content.

'Who is it?' I asked.

'Freeze at the harbor.'

'Not going?'

'They can handle him,' he answered, nuzzling my neck.

'That's what you said last time.'

'He is not insane. He knows what he's doing.'

So was Penguin, was what I thought, but I simply replied, 'Okay, but I'm getting up.'

'I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?'

'There's left over pizza in the fridge and cereal boxes in the cabinet,' I answered and walked out.

'Cool!' he followed me out.

As I was cleaning myself up, I planned to have some cereal, but once I got there, I accidentally push the box further into the cabin. It was hard to reach at first and, now, I made it even harder.

He stopped and stared at me once he had the cold pizza in his hand. I swore, I could feel his provoking thoughts, without turning around.

I summed it down to two possibilities. One, he would fetch me the box, or two, he would get it and put it even higher. I could not risk for scenario two, so I bashed furiously at him, 'Do not mock me with your kindness!'

As I thought, he pulled the box off the shelf and handed it to me. It was without doubt that he would do something that would irritate me. He smiled pleasingly, and I returned him a victorious grin.

He was astonished, 'What...'

'Thank you,' I replied him.

'...You sly fox!'

'Well, that's make you the dumb rabbit,' I concluded, tapping his nose.

His phone alerted again, before he could respond anything. 'I gotta go,' he told me, not looking as brighten after seeing it.

'Now?'

'Yeah.'

'Well then, good luck, Jason,' I remarked, as he paced into his room.

He halted and dashed back to give me a goodbye kiss on the cheek. 'I might not be back for a couple days.'

'Just take care of yourself and come back alive. I'll be waiting here.'

He pecked the same spot above my collar bone that turned into a love bite overnight, and told me with a confident smirk, 'I'll be back before you even heal.'

I responded him with a small smile, 'Bye.'

'Bye,' he answered and left through his room.

A moment later, his door was opened, and the ginger tabby cat walked out. I closed the door and carried it in my arms. I put her down on the kitchen area and made her dinner, while I had my late breakfast.

'Hmm, cat, what's your name? I wonder,' I spoke to myself. Well, to the cat, if she could understand me.

The second and third day, I did not get to see him, was more than fine.

Then, the symptom began on the fourth day evening when the mark started to fade away. I fucking missed him so badly to the point that I started calling the cat, Jaye. I must have gone crazy!

I began to say "What the heck" out loud to myself whenever he crossed my mind. I could not understand myself, or why was I doing that, I just did! It was not like I liked it when it happened, and I mostly found it annoying!

'What the heck?' I frowned to the empty apartment. I made myself a sandwich, and the memory of the way to make his just flashed into my brain for 0.2 second.

I sat down on the same stool and glanced at the empty one next to me... 'What the heck...'

This was not good. I should get a doctor appointment. I might have a psychological damage from all those unenviable events without realizing.

I took a deep breath and released a long sigh.

I was about to take another, but I was distracted by the loud crash of the broken windows. 'What the heck?!' The one who broke the window was no one other than my roommate in his uniform. 'Are you alright?'

Red Hood quickly got up and pulled me under the dinning counter with him. He groaned a little from his injuries which I could not see. He searched the cabins below and pulled out the hidden throwing knives, guns, magazines, and katanas.

'You got to talk! What's happening?' I questioned him.

'Do you know how to use a katana?'

'If intermediate phrase of Kendo counts, then yes, I know how.'

'Take it,' he said, lending me the sword.

'But I never put it on to use in the field!'

'Fair enough. I don't think you have too, but you obviously know how to use this, and put this on,' he gave me a gun and pulled out a helmet that looked like his, but it was black and my size. 'It's a prototype, but it works. She will tell you everything you need to know.' The rustling sound outside that was coming toward us took my attention until he told me, 'Quick! They're coming!'

I crossed my fingers that he knew what to do and followed his command. I let my hair down from the bun and put on the mask. I was amazed that I could still see everything like I could with naked eyes. It was even better with target lock and zoom in. Also, it was unexpectedly comfortable.

The next seconds, it started to talk to me, 'Hi, I'm Oracle! I will be guiding you through this,' she said, very affirming. I listened to her properly as she continued, 'Things are falling downward right now, so I want you to...'

Soon, I was thrown off by the informations I was given that I had no idea what she was talking about, and I was not listening as carefully to her. The rustle sound was getting louder, and then, there were a group of people entering into our room. They dressed like a type of bird with huge eyes which I could not think of the name at the moment. However, my instinct sent me into a defensive mode where my hands automatically grabbed the handle of the sword.

As they were surrounding us, I noticed multiple differences. The bullet holes that shot through their bodies, did not give them a flinch. Some of their limbs were missing, and their blood were dripping. But, they had no sign of treatment needed.

I decided to nudge the person to my right who brought those damn things here with my hand and said, 'What the hell did you just put me into?'

'The best way to save your life,' he replied.

'I'm certain that, there must be another way to save my life.'

Two of the five dead-livings in the room started to move toward us.

'They are Talons, our enemy's pawns,' Oracle spoke again.

'Okay, to be honest, I have no idea what you are talking about, but what is their vitality status?' I cut in between the person on the end of the line.

'Dead,' she claimed, as one of them attacked me.

'Great!' I responded, using the katana to block the vertical strike, and blew its head off with the gun in my left hand.

On the other side, he shot the one attacking him and somehow took several more down, and by the end of it, he was already right in the middle of the room. 'What was that?' he quested, putting the last dead organism in the room down.

'What was what?' I asked for clarification and spotted another one that just got in behind him. 'Duck!' I shouted at him.

He dived as the Talon swung its sword horizontally, and I bursted the bullets once it was no longer hidden behind him. 'Thanks,' he said.

'You're welcome. Is there anymore coming?'

'I don't think so,' he replied, taking off the hood. He took the thing off my head as well and lifted me over the counter. He rested his arm on my shoulders and his forehead on mine. He confessed, 'I miss you so much.'

'I'm glad to hear that because I miss you, too,' I answered with my hands around his waist, resting my forehead on his.

Shifted, he kissed me romantically and deepen it with no thoughts of the surrounding, but he kept his hands away from the session. I did the same because my hands were pretty dirty too, and I supposed, he felt the same.

'Hey, Red! Help needed at the cave!' the familiar voice of the eldest escaped from the ear piece, but Jason did not stop to answer.

'I'm already here!' replied someone instead.

'No, the other Red!'

I could not help, but broke the kiss and giggled. I had no idea how Red Robin would felt every time he was called Red, or Robin, but he did not answer because he thought it was the other guy.

Jason sighed and replied the line listlessly, 'I'm on my way.'

He looked away, but I held him back. 'Can I come with you?' I asked him.

'That's weird, hearing it from you who didn't want to be in this mess.'

'Look around and think again,' I told him, moving only my eyes toward the floor. He should know. No one would ever wanted to left behind in a room alone full of dead bodies.

'I see, you didn't want to stay in this mess either. Let's get going.'

'Wait! Can you find the cat?'

He looked around in the hood with thermal vision and answered, 'No, she's probably outside. It's fine, she'll be back.'

'Okay. I'll need my jacket,' I told him. I washed my hands and pulled out the old leather black bike jacket in my room. It looked similar to my current one, just older. I put it over the black shirt and dark jeans, I already had on, and I was planning to use the same blue sneakers. However, he gave me another one. They looked identical to what I had, but it was in black and had no brand. I did not see why not, so I put it on. I swung the sword across my chest and tugged the gun behind my back before we left the apartment.

We used the other way around to get into the garage where all the vehicles parked. He picked the same bike. So did I, but I stalled near the BMW to ask, 'What about the license plate?'

'I'll show you,' he said, pressing a button. Automatically, each tiles of the license plates turned into a red Bat sign.

'Just plain amazing,' I admired, putting on the helmet, and started the engines.

I followed his lead to the wall under a bridge. The brick wall opened up after scanning him and let us on to a secret road under the city. The fighting noises started to get louder and more bodies of the same group appeared, the nearer we got to the main subject. I suspected, the road could not lead to anywhere else than the Bat's cave.

'Oracle, what's the statistic right now?' he questioned.

'Two hundreds overall, still running. Counted one forty-five pushed into the Manor and other area. The other are still in the cave, fighting with Batman and Robin. I shared both of you the location system,' she answered.

'Thanks. We'll be up there.'

'We?' I asked him.

'Yeah, since you're already here.'

'I can wait here. I don't mind.'

'This will be the riskiest spot, if they decided to retreat though.'

'You're right. But are you sure I'll do okay?'

'You'll do fine. I'm not worried about that.'

'Urm... Did you somehow forget that I'm also just a financial consultant? Like a real ordinary lady on the street?'

'Just one day. We really need some help here.'

I hesitated and sighed, hoping for the best. 'Fine, but I'm out of mag.'

'Why didn't you say so!' He gave me a rifle, two holsters, another handgun, and a lot of refills. 'Better?'

'Yeah... Now, I don't have anymore excuses,' I said the last part under my breath.

'Yup,' he heard me because I had the microphone on. 'Can you see the map on the corner right?'

'Yes.'

'Mine is the red dot, and yours is the grey. All the other orange dots were the Talons.'

'Okay.'

'Once we're upstairs, I want you to find the blue dot and help him out.'

'Sure.'

'That's it.'

'Roger that, sir,' I replied with a meaningless salute.

We made our way to the staircase, hitting on many of them as we went, and split up once we reached the house.

I started pacing around the Wayne Manor with the gun at max ready in my hand for defense to do what I was told, finding the blue dot. If Oracle did not share me the map displayed on the corner of the projected screen inside the helmet, I would have been lost in this maze by now.

I caught up with the blue dot when it paused in the center of the Talons. It was the same ball room, but today, the dancing floor was filled with creatures fighting against one weakened man. However, I was on the balcony, or another word the wrong floor. I could not help much from there until I spotted an extra large crystal lighting chandelier in front of me and right above the battle.

I inquired, 'Oracle, is there anyway I can contact Nightwing below me?'

'He's on the line,' she responded.

'Nightwing's a bit busy here!' he answered in third-person.

'On my mark, come up the balcony.'

'What?!' he said, confusingly surprised.

'Balcony. Ready?' I prepped, aiming the weakest point of the chandelier, the small tube in the center that held the giant thing in the sky.

'Sure...'

'Set,' I paused the same amount of time and continued, 'Go!'

Nightwing used the grapple gun to pull himself out of the crowd as I fired the gun. Approximately one second later, the chandelier landed on the creatures, killing most of them, and held some under it. Overall, twenty-one owls hit with one bullet. Right, owls! I remembered the bird with large eyes which the Talons represented. How could I not figure this out at first?

'Who are you?' Nightwing interrupted my thoughts with an impressive question. I did not prep that with Jason.

'Err... I don't know! A background extra, I guess,' I told him, shrugging my shoulders.

'Wait, you are not who I think you are, aren't you?'

'Then, I don't think I am who you think I am... Anyway, there's still owls in the house that need to be put down. Bye!' I swiftly finished and scammed the position.

I searched for the red dot on the map, but it seemed like he had an accompany, another red dot with thick black border. Therefore, I chose a random yellow dot who was outside by the building. He was about to be surrounded by the look of the direction the monsters were heading.

I stayed on the second floor and walked across the Manor to find a good located window. A window that could see both the enemies and the ally to help the yellow guy out. On my way there, I accidentally hit on a vase. Luckily, I managed to hold on to the antique, but not the flowers, or the spilt water.

All of sudden, I realized who was going to clean this place up. To Mr. Pennyworth, I sincerely apologize for the mess I had made. I promised, I would help you polish this place until it sparkled again! Seriously, I should have thought it through before I make some stupid mistakes.

I backed myself on track and continued finding the spot. Eventually, I ended up in front of a room. I knocked on the door that might have the perfect view. No one answered, so I let myself in. As expected, the scene was superb. I could see both the Signal in yellow and black and the owl-masked non-living.

I positioned myself and put the hand gun away. I swiftly pulled out a rifle and snipped one of the creation down just in time before it could sneak up behind him. I helped him with several more while he fought against them in a hand-in-hand combat.

Later, I halted when I felt someone was present behind me. According to the map, it was a violet dot, compared to the iris dot on the other side of the building.

Batgirl, I assumed that it was her behind me. I sighed and questioned myself, as I showed her I surrendered with my hands in the air, "What did I get myself into, now?"

'Turn around! Who are you?' she interrogated with a Batarang pointing at me.

There it went again. I turned around and answered, 'For real, I don't know what I am now yet, but believe me, I'm just helping ya'll out.'

'Ya'll?... Another kid Bruce adopted on his way here?'

'He has "No guns" rule, right?' I glanced down the rifle and continued, 'Then, no.'

'Fair enough,' she replied.

There was a long silent between us with the sound of people fighting in the back ground until I detected an unwelcoming organism.

'Behind you!' I exclaimed.

'I'm not falling for that!'

'No, really! Behind you!' I pointed at it.

This time she accepted my warning and turned around, but it had already made its move. She was in danger, so I gave it a quick fire with the gun in my holster on its body just to buy sometime for her. I knew the shot did not do much, but I also knew that this family could make profit out of a half a second pause.

She made her moves and killed it. I could not describe it enough, but that was extremely nasty. I should stick on to my firearms, a lot cleaner.

'We're good?' I asked.

'We're good,' she confirmed, walking out the door.

I continued helping out how ever I could, before checking the statistic board again. The displayed number dramatically decreased since I got here. There was about five was left in the cave and twelve all over the place. I guessed, I was done. Now, I had to wait for them to finish up.

Meanwhile I was walking around and waiting to get home, I played around with the helmet. There were so many functions like the different type of vision I could see, but the most intriguing was the "Call" function. It did not seem to be a normal phone where you call someone, but more like getting your vehicle to the place you want it to be without driving it. I searched, if I could bring out the parked car inside.

The menu brought me to the type of vehicles. I chose "Motorcycles", and it gave me the list of bikes he owned. I picked out the one I used, but it said, it could not pinpoint my location and suggested me to use "Drive mode". This was stunning! Technology sure moved fast!

I drove it out using the thing and parked it in front of the main entrance where I last remembered where I was before dozing off. Suddenly, I bumped onto the tall trimmed bushes. I took the helmet off and gazed around.

Where was I?

I was surrounded by those wall-like plant that stood next to each other, creating a labyrinth. Shit! I did not have the map, nor did I know how to get out of here.

How did I even get here?!

Phone, phone, phone! I need my phone! I searched my pockets, and all of them was empty. Crap, I forgot it on the counter at home!

I decided to sit down the grass, trying not to get any more lost than I currently was, and use the helmet to contact someone.

'Hello? Anyone can hear me?' I inquired. 'Oracle?'

No one answered.

Was I out of range? Possibly not because I could talk to her when I was in the apartment. The range must be at least ten kilometers.

Did I accidentally cut myself off the loop while I played around? That could be...

Oopsie... Now, how would I get back in? I was not really that good with technical stuff since the start anyway. Like, I knew only the basics needed to use in daily life. There might be a manual somewhere in here.

I scavenged for it and realized later that this was a prototype. There would not had been a manual.

'I'm so dead! I don't know what to do next!' I shouted it out; even though it was acctually not true. I would find a way out somehow.


	18. Chapter 18

I skimmed though the list again and found a section called, "Help". Well, now that was common sense to press on it. It said it could not pinpoint my location, so it could do nothing.

So... did that mean, I could not ask for help because the prototype did not have the tracking system? But it knew my exactly where I was when I was in the Manor, I believed it must have something that gave them my position. I might be able to turn on the location service.

I found and entered the location system. It was turned off. Yes! I would be out of here in no time.

Suddenly the helmet started buzzing and shut itself down. The screen said, low on battery as its last words before committing suicide. That was my moment that most people had when they realized shit had gone worse from better.

'What?! I demand you, not to die on me!'

Of course, it could not hear my voice. I was left with the only old hard choice, looking for the way out on my own.

I gathered rocks under the trees and chose a path. If it was a dead end, I would walk back to the nearest junction and placed three rocks across the way to indicate that I had been there. I estimated at most thirty minutes, but it took me a while extra fifteen to get out of there. By the time I escaped, I flopped my back blocking the exit on the green fluffy grass from the tiresome. All I wanted was to go home right now, but once I thought of it, the home I called was as bad. I wished they just dissolved into ash, so I did not have to worry about where I had to deposit the bodies. I admitted, I sounded like a murderer for a second.

I rolled over and found the bike parked in front of me nicely. Oh well, home sweet home, I did not have anywhere else to crash anyway. Just in case, I checked inside the Manor which was suspiciously clean as if nothing had happened. The places where bodies supposed to be laying around was no longer there except the thick mist of dust and ashes, but there were still traces of fight for example dents on the wooden table made by sword when inspected close enough. I called out for someone for a moment, but there was no reply. It was around seven when I left assured that no one was there. I put the hood-like helmet on the pillion seat and used the extra black helmet from the storage.

As I was driving, I noticed, people on the sidewalk and cars were weirding out. I thought, I was in trouble of some kind, but I believed I followed the laws the best I could. Later on the driveway, some people started to pull out their phone to take pictures. The road was free in front of me, there was no car behind me, and there was no amazing event worth taking photos of for me. What the hell were they looking at?

About twenty minutes later when I was stuck in the middle of a traffic next to an Hyundai SUV car, a blond boy at the age around five rolled his window down from the passenger seat and reached his hand to me. I was shocked and puzzled by his action, but he was falling off the window. Anyway, I caught him and placed him back on the seat.

'Don't do that. It's dangerous,' I scolded him.

He was speechless for a while, leading me to doubt what I said, and rushed to the hand rest of the front seat. 'Mommy! Mommy! I told you, Red Hood is a girl!'

Another moment when I realized I fucked up twice in a row today. I left the lane and drove into the alley Jason used to change.

'How did he come up with such a conclusion? This helmet is not even red!' I mumbled to myself, as I put the hood-like helmet and the weapons on me in the storage. I took my jacket off and tied it around my waist for distinctive sake, before changing the license plate back to its original numbers. This would be unforgivable, if I messed up another time today.

I returned to my way home and stopped in front of the door to the room. I should have been stuck at the lobby, but a gentleman saw me with a stack of stuff. He opened the sliding doors and the elevator for me, so I was not discerned that the keycard was not with me.

I placed the stuff on the floor and tried knocking the door. I was not expecting anyone, but someone was inside. The sound of the light footsteps presented me that there was only one target. I grabbed a handgun from the container and stood away from the door. At least, for worst case scenario, the one on the opposite side of the door could be a Talon. I was no match for them at close combat, so staying far and giving me enough time to pull the trigger possibly was the best thing to do.

The stranger opened the door, and the next moment, I was dodging a throwing knife. The thrower hesitated the last second, making it strike at me slower than it could have been. I release my hand once I saw the man in front of me.

'That was close,' I disclosed, pleasing to see him again.

He took me by my wrist and held me close, but he did not say a word.

'Jason? You, okay?'

He gave me a sigh of relieve and answered, 'I thought... they got you.'

'Woah, woah, woah, stop right there... You thought, I'm dead?' I was incredibly surprised.

'Well, that would be the worst scenario, but yes, I did.'

'What were you going to do about it?'

'Wait twenty-four hours before calling the police, maybe.'

'You and the police?' I confirmed unbelievingly.

'I don't know.'

'Anyway, I'm safe and sound. There's no need to worry,' I assured him, hugging him back. I could not hold him as much with his arms over mine, but I did. That was what mattered.

There was a moment of silence, until he broke it, 'Where were you?'

'Long story, I'll tell you once we're inside. I'm sure someone will call the police, if they saw one of us with a gun and the other with a knife.'

'Trust me, they won't have a chance to say a word,' he responded with a smirk, releasing the embrace.

'Alright, you and your death jokes are killing me!' I pushed him away and grabbed the storage as I careened into the room. 'Oh, you cleaned up!'

'Yeah, did I not tell you they turned into ash after a while?'

'You should've, but you didn't,' I answered, putting the stuff away. 'I've been troubled by the thoughts of putting those bodies away all these time for no reasons!'

I knew he was not listening, but I was carefree. I bent my back down to reach for more things to organize, and when I was done, I left to take a shower.

I startled by his unexpected stunt of him locking me in his arms the second time after I came out. He seemed fine, but my sixth sense told me to comfort him... somehow. That was the hardest mission for someone that was not a comforter. 'You are aware that, I'm out for only an hour right?'

'No, an hour and twenty-three minutes.'

'Where did you get the twenty-three?'

'We called for a meeting, but you weren't there.'

'Why would I be there? I'm not even part of it.'

He tittered, and for first time, he slapped my ass, rambling away. I was dumbfounded and equally speechless. It was not something bad in particular, I was just... surprised. I also had no idea what got into him, but at the very least, I knew he was more than well enough.

Later the same night out of a weird and rare occasion, I heard him left the house, and the next morning, he had not come back. I did not gave it much thoughts, acknowledging that he had his own businesses, and I had own my repetitive routine life to follow. As long as, there was no such thing as owl-masked men rumbling into my home trying to kill whatever in front of them, I was as easy going. My life was simple and predictable like I wanted to keep it.

Until I found this thick book laying around on the sofa table titled The Court of Owls, it was calling me to read what inside. As ordinary as a story could be, the protagonist always do what they was supposed not to which lead into alike adventures, so as a protagonist of this distinct story, I leave it be.

Who cared, the text book was obviously full of letters made into words, a literature that full of differences in interpretation, and things that would throw mathematicians off a cliff once they had read the improbability. In short, a fiction with no murderers were just as appealing as an untidy room to me. Also I would like to give away another way to interpret this whole paragraph, I was extremely lazy and might be too lazy to be a main character.

Well, a little peek would not turn my life hundred-eighty degree, would it? I read the first few pages out of curiosity. It was more like a folktale that was told from mouth to mouth for centuries before this book was officially written. Greek mythology would be a great example. Nothing sounded real, except the facts of Gotham.

It was apparently entertaining. Maybe that was because the next thing left that I could do was work, so the amusement started establishing. After a couple more chapters, I switched to the evening news. Jason was still not home, or maybe he dropped by when I was at work.

'After the event of Penguin's damage, constructors discovered radiation underneath the ground of the collapsed Wayne Tower. Scientist suggested that there might be a radioactive element from the statistic measurements. On the other hand, Bruce Wayne has not given us any comment about the damage this radiation has occurred,' said the reporter, filming in front of the Wayne's main building.

The reporter later shifted her attention to the buzzing billboard, so did the cameraman.

'Good evening, people of Gotham! I am the Riddler. Shall we let the game begins?' he introduced, as two buildings next to the sign exploded. 'In five minutes, if you cannot crack this riddle, Gotham's National Museum will burn in fire with all the it's staff. Listen carefully: Then, he eats faulty egg at the home economic room of Frances O. Wale Lincoln's School. Better get it fast, or people will lose their lives,' he ended, and the screen blacked out.

The feather of owls, I cracked the code. Batman would have known the answer before me. After this, they would have to search for the bomb, or something, inside this zone in the museum. Five minutes would be plenty enough.

There was nothing to worry about, so I popped a small bag of popcorn in the microwave and enjoyed myself in the small room as a potato couch comfortably. Two minutes passed, and there was still no sign of the Bat family, not even a single of them running around. On the third minute, my phone rang. It was an unknown caller, but that was not uncommon for a business person. I accepted it.

'Hello?' I greeted.

'Good evening, Miss Albertsons. I'm Alfred Pennyworth. I supposed, you have already found out the answer to code.'

'Yes... What's happening?'

'We are out of man power. The others we have available are across the country. I fear even at light speed, they would not make it in time.'

'Alright... So... what do you want from me?'

'We need you to go out in the field.'

'So supposed I agreed, how will I get there in time?'

'Please look out the balcony,' he told me, and the invisible aircraft revealed itself.

'Holy Mother of Gods, Batwing...'

'As it is Batwing, there's no time waste. Please get inside.'

I knew I said "supposed", but who would not agreed when they saw a Batwing in front of them. The door was pulled down to let me in, and on the seat there was a change of clothes and the black helmet, I had no good memories of.

'This is it, Miss Albertsons,' he escorted me to the changing room.

Another minute, I was already there in a new black biker jacket and dark jeans. Before the plane let the door down again, Pennyworth gave me the helmet. It was new... enhanced. No wonder why the one earlier was called a prototype.

'Mr. Pennyworth, where is Oracle?' I quested because I did not hear her.

'No worries, I will be your guide today,' he declared.

'Okay... Umm... Wish me luck!' Oh, God, I had no idea what I just accepted, but I did. Is turning back now, okay?

'May god be with you, Miss Albertsons.'

We landed and the police let me in without identifying who I was. They ushered me into the area with a stoned lecture in the center connecting to all the hostage. If they rescued one of them, the bombs would be activated.

I got less than one minute left when I stood behind the lecture. There were blank boxes with space in between three, seven, two, and four, confirming that I was correct.

T, H, E, F, E, A, T, H, E, R, O, F, O, W, L, and S, I pressed every initial of the clues he gave. T for "Then", H for "he", E for "eats", F for "faulty", and all the other in the same process until the last word of the riddle, "Then, he eats faulty egg at the home economic room of Frances O. Wale Lincoln's School." It automatically sent me to a green screen with two words displayed, "BOMB DEACTIVATED", and then, the Riddler appeared.

'A newbie?' he spoke out his bubble thoughts, so I did not answer. 'Well, the first part of the next game, then. Listen. Bose's locker in Gotham County High School. Ten minutes start.'

The rescuers rescued the people, and I heard a police used a walky-talky to call the others, before rushing out, 'Find the person named Bose in Gotham County High School. Repeat. Gotham County High School. Bose.'

I did not believe that he would just give us the a question that easy. It could be a code, a nickname, or even... numbers.

How did school locker were when I was in high school?

First number for the floor, and three other numbers to indicate the locker. In total, there would be four numbers.

Could Bose possibly be numbers?

If I added the sequence of the alphabet, B would be two, O would be fifteen, S would be nineteen, and E would be five, but that only added up to forty. It was no where near four digits, so I tried multiplying them. The answer would be 2850, but my guts told me that it would not be that easy. In addition, it would not be possible to have a locker number 850 on second floor, or is it? I was not sure.

Numbers, what other thing could it be? Another way that Bose could be seen as numbers?

Upside down?

I turned the microphone off and asked, while making my way out, 'Mr. Pennyworth, can I open Pinterest from here? I think, I figured something out. I just want to make sure of it,' I asked him, cursing upon how I had no life.

'Yes,' he replied.

'Not asking why?'

'I'm ceased to question this family, I served for my lifetime.'

I giggled, just could not hold it in, as the homepage popped up. 'I'll never be bored, talking to you, Mr. Pennyworth!' I admitted, looking up riddles.

The murder riddles, I used to read when I was bored, came into view. The numbers that once it was written on a calculator and turned upside down. The answer would be claimed. B, O, S, E would be read 3508. Voila! Every letters!

'How can I tell them that, it's locker number 3508, or 2580?' I still could not let go of the former answer because it somehow fitted.

'I will call Commissioner Gordon, and you can tell him.'

'Erm... Okay... Wait! Is he... Umm... mean?'

'No worries, Miss Albertsons. He's the kindest man, you would ever talk to.' He dialed the number to my earpiece, and continued, 'There's a voice modifier activating. Fear not to talk.'

Pennyworth's voice was cut off, and another man's voice came in instead, 'Hello?'

'Umm... Hi! Commissioner Gordon?'

'Yes, and you are?'

He asked the same bloody question, I still could not answer in this form. 'That's doesn't matter,' I said, standing before him. 'I'm here to help. I advise your team to keep searching on the person named, Bose, but also give these locker numbers a thought, 3508 and 2850. Just another possibility.'

'Check locker number 3508, and 2850! I repeat. 3508! And 2850!' he yelled at he device. Did he not hear me when I said possibility? There was so many ways to crack this code.

'Sir, we found it in 3508!'

Oh well, as long as, it worked out.

'But there's another riddle,' continued the policeman from the other end.

'Speak,' he commanded.

'I'm not a leader, but I command. People have to listen to me, but sometimes I have to listen to someone. Who am I? There's four blank space with numbers and letters on the keyboard. We have only one attempt.'

The answer was boss. Boss, in another words are people that commanded other people around, but never get their hands on like a leader. I got it right off the bat, but I was not sure what he wanted, the alphabets, or the numbers.

'I'll be there,' I told the commissioner. There might be more available clues at the scene.

I returned to the plane. I buckled up opposite of Pennyworth and settled deep into my thoughts. Is this supposed to be a new game? Or is it part of the same one? Boss, or 5508? Maybe one of them had more probability? I could not answer any of those questions in my head, right now.

'Miss Albertsons!' Pennyworth called me loudly, startling me. 'I apologize. You had not answered me, are you alright?'

'Yeah, I am... I think so.'

'Don't let doubts get to you. You're a bright young woman.'

'Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth.'

'Please call me, Alfred.'

'Thank you, Alfred,' I replied, giving him a little smile. Out of nowhere, I puzzled, believing that it would help me somehow, 'Was Jason ever a lucky person?'

Alfred took a while to answer my question, reflecting me a sweet smile, 'Yes, I'm positive. He is surely a man with luck.'

'Thank you,' I replied, unbuckling when the craft stopped.

'You are very welcome,' he ushered me.

'Could you do me a favor, Alfred?' I questioned before I left.

'Indeed.'

'While Riddler talked to me, I saw the background. There's the number six and oil tanks. I suspected, it's a warehouse at the harbor. Can you pull out the cameras?'

'Yes, of course!'

He displayed the live videos on the large screen for me. The Riddler was really there in the warehouse number six, but the lightning looked unordinary to me. I got my hands on the map, and it showed me that this warehouse was parrarelled to the number five and seven. Which meant one thing, all of them supposed to have similar shade and lighting, but no, number six was not, while five and seven were. He was no longer in the warehouse. The camera was on reply.

'Alfred, please tell Commisioner Gordon to evacuate the area around the warehouse.' Even though Riddler was not there anymore, there must be a reason he wanted us to know the location. Maybe it was not meant for us, but someone else. Alfred nodded, and I replied, 'Thank you. I'll go now.'

I got into the building's balcony, and they took me to the locker. I had four minutes left, which should be plenty. The whole locker was the detonator. It looked to me that this connected to many more booms hidden in the campus.

'I'll take it from here,' I told the police men guarding. If I did something wrong, at least, I would not take their lives with me.

Did I have to sacrifice that much?

No one is in the building. The building was also needed renovation and preservation. I could just let it exploded. It would probably help the government with demolishing expense!

As I was withdrawing, buzzing white of the black screen introduced the Riddler.

'You've come pretty far. Are you on your own?'

I did not answer him. He should know that someone else would be here, if there was anyone available to speak with him. Apparently, I was the only one relaxing on my couch, so out of necessity, they had to bring me out. Therefore, no, I was not here to answer such an unintellectual question with one of the smartest in Gotham.

'Anyhow, why don't I give you some inspiration to deactivate this boom?' His screen moved into a smaller one on the corner, and the live security camera enlarged. I could only see one Asian girl clearly from this point of view, but the back of the other three, or four, teens were still shown. 'These are the innocent kids, nosing around my place yesterday. If you got the correct answer, they will tell you my location, but if not, you will all die from the impact.'

I had no other choice.

However, the live camera of the hostages he gave me revealed where the kids were, probably because of his carelessness of the background. There was a stove and pans hanging on the side. It could have been the kitchen, or home economic room of the school; however, I went with the home economic room because of the extraordinary amount of stools and white board.

The camera itself was also another evident. This school did not have its own security camera. Riddler was the one who put it up. The Asian girl on the video apparently got her hands on something, but she tried not to move much. This gave me the possibility that someone was guarding them. Riddler did not have any underlings; therefore, putting two to two together, Riddler was also in the school with the students.

'Alfred, call Commissioner please,' I requested.

'Calling, and a voice modifier on.'

Once he excepted, I began, 'Commissioner, I need some men in the home economic room. Hostages are there, and prepare to handcuff the villain in the same room.'

'On it,' he confirmed, hanging up.

According to the live camera, I saw a troop barged into the room. Riddler was really in there, and the hostage were saved. However now that the clock was ticking to one minute, they would not leave this place in time unless I deactivated the explosion.

I was still not absolutely sure with the answer. I believed, I missed something. I felt like the Riddler gave me an important clue while he was giving me the second riddle.

Will I be able to recap the last clue he gave me?

I thought, I should make a final call in case I did not. Jason turned up to be my first choice on the bucket list, and I did not see why not.

'Alfred, may I call Jason from here?' I asked, as the digital number counted down out of one minutes.

'Of course!'

After a little while, he picked up.

'Hi, Jason!'

'Andrea? How? The signal is not supposed to get down here! I'm even having hard time contacting the others!' he responded with multiple sound of blasted gunpowder and clinking of swords in the background.

He did not seem to know what I was doing. If that was not him who called me on this job, then who? Well, I would have to find out the answer, if I ever got out of here alive!

'Miracles can happen sometimes, I guess.' The clock was ticking down to thirty seconds. As I was talking to him, I rehearsed the dialogue the Riddler said in my head from the first until the last part.

'So what is it?'

'Yeah, about that. I'm just calling you in case I fucked up.'

'You're on drugs?!'

'Dude, no! I meant physically, not mentally like you!'

'Okay... I see whatcha did there...'

Suddenly, I came across a short insignificant sentence the Riddler said that ticked, "Well, the first part of the next game, then." I realized, it was the just first part of the game, so the second part would have to be gone through a similar process.

I returned to the call and continued, 'Great! I don't have a lot of time, alright?'

I started filling in the first box with a weird confident.

'Go on, I'm listening.'

Just in case these were my last words, I told him, 'I love you.'

'You are obviously fucked up!'

'What? I just...'

He cut me off, 'Stop there and listen. I'm as fucked up because I love you, too...'

 **Beep! Beep! Beep!**

 **BOOM!**

* * *

A/N

Dear Jenniferg7, Guest, and Readers,

Thank you for pointing out. I have no excuse for such mistakes, and I have made the changes and added details.

In short, there were three codes and two booms, and I could see why the code was confusing. I really was not great at all explaining the riddles, and I sincerely apologize for that and for being extremely late to reply.

Please reread this chapter again and give me feedbacks. If there is anymore confusions, please tell, so I can clear them up.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely and Happy New Year,

Anon001


	19. Chapter 19

**BOOM!**

'Oh, my God! Where's that from!?' Commissioner Gordon inquired for immediate answer, after witnessing the explosion not far away.

'Tracking, Sir!' replied a detective, 'Gotham Harbor, warehouse number six, Sir! Damage: unknown. Fire department: on it.'

'Thanks, detective. How are the hostages and Riddler?'

'Riddler: locked up, and hostages: still in shock.'

'Great to hear, thank you.'

Their conversation was so loud, I could hear from here. Maybe it might be because of the earpiece that enhanced the sound, but whatever, I could hardly breath, or stand up right now. I rested my back on the locker opposite of the detonator that had its screen turned green.

'You did good, Miss Albertsons,' Alfred regarded.

I panted and later laughed at myself for being such an idiot for a solid nine minutes and thirty seconds, before replying, 'Thank you, Alfred. It's a pleasure working with you, but honesty, do not, I repeat "do not", call me out for a job like this.'

He laughed in between his coughs and commented, 'We'll see... However, on my account, you are still in debt with us for the damage on the chandelier.'

'Shush, Alfred! No one knows! I swear, I was in the blind spot!' I stepped toward the flying plane.

'What you see, I see, and so did she. Two eye witnesses, and a tape should be plenty enough, I presume.'

'Well, then, I will absolutely lose to you in court... How much would that be?'

'Nineteen million dollars.'

My jaw dropped, and my throat felt dried up instantly, imagining the numbers of zeros. I was speechless beyond speechless, like speechless to the point that there was no more to be speechless.

Why would a bloody chandelier cost that much?

'Miss Albertsons, you had not needed to be extremely enthused. I brought it up just because that shot was memorable.'

I thought he was done with the sentence, so I slipped the water in the glass he gave me and replied, 'Thank you.'

However, he continued, 'For someone with such a background like yours,' making me choked myself.

I replied him a smile. I somehow half-heartedly predicted that they would dig me up.

'Your mother is the state representative, and your father works in the military. Where did you learn all these skills?'

He asked me as straight as a line could be, so I answered him honestly, 'You know, stuff happens when the whole squad of trained specialists are your nanny... Dad used to bring me to the training field. How deep do you want me to get?'

'We can have some biscuits and nice hot tea, if that would please you.'

'Aren't you busy? Like it would still be my pleasure to talk to you next time, if your schedule is full.'

'One night won't kill, Miss Albertsons.'

'Then, please make this misery night better,' I gracefully accepted the offer.

Once relief was by my side, I could not believe, I decided to call Jason and told him I love him as my last words. Even though, I thought, I had been saying it to him numerous time, this felt more authentic! I was never that emotional with my other partners. In addition, everything that happened to me recently about him had been abnormal for me, and, for your information, that was not a good sign. Not at all. Like, hell, I should have called Mom!

Am I sick? Or was this really how people fall in love? If it was and had always been like that, then he was the first one I had ever felt such feelings with. And, shit, I should not have. I must not be at my right state, agreeing to date him at the first place.

I pressed my pointers on my temples, feeling that he was certainly right when he said I was fucked up.

I began rolling down a check list in my head. Alright, how worse could it be? More than I thought, I guessed.

Crime lord? Check. Dangerous? Check. Outlaw? Check. Murderer? Check. Criminal? Check. Bad mouth? Certainly check. Gentleman? Check. Smart? Check. Beautiful eyes? Check. Good-looking? Check... Just a sec...

No, no, no! What was I thinking! In what way did you not understand the word negative part of him, Andrea!

Argh! He should have said he hated me...

I took a deep deep breath and toned myself down. Alright, keep calm... I knew, I should not be throwing blames around. I just deactivated bombs, and that could stress anyone out. I was just freaking out, and it was totally normal. Totally. Normal...

"I love you." The sentence, I said, repeated in my mind.

Tukugkfyukvktkyuyt! I freaked myself out, again.

The cycle repeated itself multiple times, as I waited for Alfred. It was not shown on my face, but really, I could not wait for the comforting tea. I was killing myself from inside, until Alfred returned to the room with two cups of tea and a layered circle of sweets.

He chanted, 'I truly wish, Master Bruce will know how not to hang his life on such a thin line as good as you.'

I snapped out of it and replied, 'Can't really blame him. He believes, there's redemption remain for Gotham. I don't. We're different.'

'You don't?'

'Well, at least not right now. Right now, no matter how much you sacrifice, it just seem to be in the bottom of an endless well with all these countless insane criminals... Alfred, I wonder, why does he not kill? Why not take them out and truly make Gotham a better place?'

'Then, I shall being the story...'

He started from the beginning and finished off at the point where the man decided the path he chose. He did not reveal any cases the man had got into. He told me only part of the story that would just to give me the answers, and that was more than enough for me.

* * *

Two quiet days later, Jason came back home, without giving me a notice. Fortunately, I came to except the fact that, I chose to call him over my Mom because of various reasons. Also, as expected, he was injured again but not at the point of extreme, so I was back on helping him with the bandages. All in all, please allow me to describe his epic entrance.

Nothing much, I was alone for those couple days, and my old habit was back. It was about one in the afternoon on the day he returned. I was in a white oversized T-shirt with a large red bow design across my chest. I heard the click of the door unlocked from my bedroom, so I checked it out.

'Welcome home, Jason!'

It appealed to me when he walked in, his eyes were dark, his walking pace changed, and the way he moved, too. He was in a casual wear, so it was not unbelievable that he had cuts under the clothes. However, his first words he spoke to me was otherwise.

'Hey, gorgeous! You must be the present I ordered secretly for myself last week,' he said promptly. However, I could hear his tiring in his voice, and it somehow effected my feelings inside.

'Seriously, how could you have any energy left to make such a joke?' I moved toward him and lifted bottom part of his shirt up, revealing the fresh wounds and bruises.

He was surprised, which it was meant to be, and tugged his shirt back down. Then, I sighed at the sight I had seen.

I turned back to my room and put on some shorts, before coming out with the aid kit. 'Take your shirt off,' I told him.

'Easy. I won't die,' he spoke, stopping me with his hands.

I placed the kit down on the floor and rested my hands on the waist. 'Okay, Mr. Invincible, there's this word, called infection, that most mortal die from untreated injuries. Last time, I check, you're not immortal... Well, unless you want infection to be on your list of "My cause of death", I won't stop you, but I assure you that, it doesn't look good for overall résumé.'

'You're right,' he mumbled.

He did as I told and sat down on the stool. Several more cuts was shown, but they were not critically deep. Some were still bleeding, but no stitches were need.

'Why didn't you stay for Alfred?' I puzzled, cleaning the wounds.

'Mine ain't that bad, and he's got his hands full with all of the others.'

'Oh! So how did it went?'

'Yeah, It's going pretty well. They'll be on vacation for a while.'

'Is the jailbreak part of their plan?'

'Not sure. We'll have to dig deeper into it, but I bet they are. Some of the prisoners in Arkham were held prisoners there... Is it just me, or when I said it, it actually sounded ironic? Like prisoners here, and also prisoners there after the jailbreak.'

'I think so.'

'Now that I speak of it, how did the Riddler went back to Arkham? What did I miss when I was down there?'

'Not a lot. The Riddler came out. Stuff exploded. Riddles made. Riddles solved. Hostages saved. Then, the Riddler got caught,' I concluded poetically.

'Who got Riddler, if no one was up here?'

'Gotham City Police Department. It's their job after all.'

'...Where were you that day? Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. I was watching TV.'

'I remember, you called me out of the blue that day, too.'

'Indeed, I did.'

'You hung up before I could ask. When you confessed, what do you mean?'

'What do you mean, you don't understand what I mean? You answered me the same thing.'

'Like this is only the second time you ever said it, so I assume, you don't say it a lot unless you meant it. And I'm not sure what you mean since the last time it was obvious that you thought of us as friends.'

'Only twice?' I doubted both him and myself.

'Yeah.'

'Wait, have I never say it any other time?'

'You ask me, I ask you.'

'I must have been failing to say it in words, then.'

He seemed so done when I finished the sentence. He made me feel so guilty, I wanted to take back all those words.

'Sorry... It was unintentional. I really thought, I've said it, and you always look like you received it... Anyway, right back at you, you've said it only once.' I finished the last one up and stood before him, watching impatiently for the respond.

'I love you,' he said plainly. There was no dynamic, or tone, just plain solid words, and he could make my heart flattered. I might have fallen in love with the same person, again.

I was also probably grinning from side to side when I responded, 'I love you, too!'

He cupped my cheek and pecked my lips. He kissed me again with only the surface of my mouth touched his and the third time.

I questioned his action with an arched eyebrow, 'What are you doing?'

He tasted the surface that touched mine and responded, 'You had sugar coated chocolate donut?'

'Yeah... Then?'

'Without telling me?!'

'Jason, there're just donuts. Don't over react.'

'Donuts?! More than one?! What about me?'

'I had the last one this morning. There's no more left.'

'You should've kept one for me!'

'I didn't know you were coming back, today! I'm not a fortune teller to know when you'll be back!'

'Then, go buy me some.'

'It's closed... No kidding! It's closed,' I claimed, giggling at the coincidence.

'Ha ha ha, so funny,' he commented sarcastically, 'Seriously, really?'

'Really, it's closed!'

'I hate you,' he sulked.

I wheezed at how adorable, yet annoying, he was, and replied, 'I love you, too,' with a soft smooch. He switched it into a passionate one, and I welcomed it.

 ***Sexual content below***

Jason backed my neck with one hand, deepening the kiss, and the other traced down my arm and stopped on my mid-section underneath the T-shirt, asking permission to go further. I nodded, giving him the permission, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He got off the stool and carried me like nothing with my legs around his waist, despite the injuries and restlessness. He held me against the door, while I reached for the door knob to my room and opened it, maintaining the embrace.

He put me down on the center of the bed and kissed my neck, unwrapping the present. I admitted, I would never forget where I bought this pajama. He halted a moment, checking me out for the first time uncovered, and continued when I pulled him closer. He kissed my lips and took my breath away when he suddenly brushed his finger tips from the top to bottom over the incline of my breast and backed to fondle them.

The sensation of hot and cold swirled, as our body temperature raised, and Gotham's afternoon coldness creeped into the apartment. He rubbed his thumb on my stiffen nipple and licked the other. I tried suppressing my voice, which soon would be audible, with the back of my hand, but he snatched it away to the side.

'Jason,' I moaned his name eagerly for his touch.

He stopped and stared into my eyes. The light was dim, but it was not hard to gaze back. His eyes were icy-cold green, yet warm and full of affection. Such eyes that also had grim and compassion, but mainly tired and apologetic.

 ***Sexual content above***

He nuzzled in middle of my chest and, then, whispered into my ear, 'Tomorrow, I promise,' before gradually laid down to the side.

I did not understand it at first; however, the next moment I looked, I found him passed out. For God's sake, he was down, before we even started!

I wanted to curse so badly, but I just could not bring myself to do it, knowing why he did so. I let out a sigh and moved on. I put my shirt back on and covered him with the blanket, before going into the shower to cool off the heat.

Honestly, I could bet someone a thousand dollars that, he would forget about it tomorrow morning, and win. It would be a shock, if he genuinely remembered it in such condition.

I tugged that thoughts away and found myself, getting better at doing it. I pulled out my MacBook and began the first part of the project at Harper's.

After a while, I checked what I could make with the left overs and prepare the ingredients for Asian stir-fried noodles. I did not see why not because I had all the stuff I needed, and it was quick and easy to make. Another thing was, it tasted great. Acknowledging that he probably had nothing in his stomach, too, I also cooked a portion of dinner for him. I placed the wrapped dish inside the fridge and left a post-it note next to the handle of the fridge.

It was almost seven when I finished up my dinner and started doing the second section of my work. It was not hard, but it was tediously time consuming. Soon later, I stretched out and gave my neck a little crack. I took my plate to the sink, and my right calf muscles stung when I stood.

Hell, I should have gone to the gym regularly like I used to.

I had not had such a cramp for so long, I forgot how to deal with it. I hopped with my left leg to the sink and steadily put my foot down once the cramp ease.

A walk might help, I theorized. Well, at least, it would help my brain to function the period of stress, so I changed into warm comfy clothes. I also took the chance to check how Jason was doing. He was sleeping peacefully, so I was not worried to leave. Approximately half an hour, I got back home because it was too dark and cold outside. I changed again into my full normal turquoise pajamas with white verticals strips. I finished up my work and bundled close to him for warmth, before falling asleep.

I slept, but I shortly after I was awaken because he was crushing my bones with his arms on top mine. I was not in an advancing position with my hands on his chest and unpleasantly suffocating, but he looked like he was suffering much more. He was hot and sweating, too, so I was not sure if this was just a cause of fever, or not.

I wanted and could have gotten out of this bear hug, but I did not want to hurt him more by pushing him too hard. I tired wiggling my way out, but it was not successful. All of sudden, he let go of me and used his hands to cover his head. He screamed painfully, as he rolled on his back. The self-evident showed me, it was not just a fever. He was in a trauma.

Of course, who was expecting him to be in trauma? I should have known this was happening to him from the loudness of his voice, but I did not. I was not at all prepared for this situation. While I was dumbfounded from finding out I lack of knowledge to deal with this, he rocked himself swiftly side to side with no intention of stopping his horrifying continuous scream.

'Jason, wake up! Wake up! It's just a dream!' I soothed him, placing my forehead on his. I replaced his hands with mine, and he clenched both of my wrists instead, after I successfully got a hold of him.

I repeated the same phrases over and over again, not knowing if he could hear me, or otherwise, until he slowly started to breath again. He dropped the grip, but until that point, my wrists were aching from enduring his strength.

"How long had this trauma been here?" I asked myself. Then, I remembered, his room was sound proof, and the wreaked dreams he mentioned. Therefore, I had no idea it was this bad, but I also had no excuse of not knowing it.

'Jason, it's just a dream... You're fine. Everything is fine, now,' I reassured him.

He steadily decreased the panting and opened his eyes. Sequentially, he jolted up in a sitting position when he saw me. 'Andrea?!'

I was equally surprised by his movement and landed on his laps because I had been on top of him. 'Err... yeah. That's my name.'

'This is your room... I'm in your room. Sorry, I can't remember coming into your room...,' he apologized, pushing his hair back. As I thought, I should have made the thousand dollars bet. He paused a while and asked, 'Did I hurt you?'

I glanced at my fairly red wrists which probably became bruises tomorrow. 'It's nothing. I'm fine.'

'So I did... I'm sorry.'

'I told you, I'm fine... Is there anything you want to talk about? Anything at all?' I asked sympathetically.

'I'm fine. Thanks,' he lied. It was like a total lie off the plate.

Knowing it whole-heartedly made me felt as if that was how I sounded. It felt like that was how we built the wall between us. 'Alright, I'm sorry,' I tried, breaking the wall down, 'I should have been honest... Why don't we play a game? You can ask me a question, and I will answer it in a full sentence honestly, truthfully, and not repetitive. And the same goes with you, I'll ask and you answer... It can be about anything... You can start.'

'Where did I hurt you?'

'See my wrists? That's you.'

'Is there anymore?'

'Shush, my turn. How do you feel, right now?'

'I feel tired, sleepy, but I don't want to sleep... So, is there anymore?'

'You crushed my upper body and almost killed me!'

He looked even more depressed like I hated him for that. I did not. 'I'm so... so sorry.'

'You are forgiven,' I responded promptly, and I could tell that he was not predicting that. 'I was exaggerating, but you did almost kill me. I know, it was unintentional, and it better be. So, I'm not mad at you for that... Alright, my question. How long have you been dreaming things like this?'

He sighed once, before answering. 'Five, or six years, I guess, maybe more... How did I get in here?'

'You walked in here,' I answered, not very detailed because I said truthfully, not the whole truth.

'You should just kick me out of the room whenever I do that, again,' he advised, looking better.

'If you want me to, it would be my pleasure to do that next time... So, how constant do you have the dream?'

'Hmm... Not everyday, just whenever I have a long night out.' That meant every time he slept because he would not sleep, unless it was a long night out. 'I don't have anymore questions.'

I knew, learning about him was hard, and getting him to tell was harder. I did not want to throw any other questions at him that would make him any more uncomfortable, so I stopped there. 'I have one more... Are you hungry? I saved some dinner for you.'

'Not much. Wait... I felt like, I talked to you about saving me something... Like you ate all of something without saving me the something.'

'That's a lot of "Something". Can you be more specific?' I sort of teased him with the question because I remembered, but he did not.

'Forget it... What do you have for me?'

'Stir-fried noodles.'

'Sound great.'

'I'll warm them up... Nah, you do it. I'm too lazy,' I told him, flopping down on my bed, but I still had my eyes on him. I saw him yawned, and I yawned.

'Well, if you're not goin', I'll just be here, watching you sleep,' he laid down next to me.

'Jason... that's creepy.' I looked at him with my barely opening eye and told him with a smile, 'I love you, creep.'

'Right, that reminds me. What do you mea...'

I tossed my hand on his face and begged, 'Don't finish that sentence. I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is... You know what, you will remember it, soon. I don't even want to bother, answering you the second time.'

I heard him said something, but I could not make a word out of it, as I fell asleep.

The next morning, he was not on the bed anymore when I woke up. I looked at the time, and... Shit, I was late by fifteen minutes. I checked my phone and found out that I did not turn my alarm on. I could still made it to work on time, but I would have to sacrifice my breakfast.

I dashed into the bathroom, ignoring Jason's sketchy comment. I had no idea what it was about, but I just assumed it was sketchy. I quickly get my dress and make up on right after, and I checked the time again. I got about seven minutes left, despite the walking time. I was hungry and had enough time to eat, but I did not have the time to make it. Whatever, I would just go to work early, today.

I came out of my room and found him behind the counter. I greeted, 'Good morning, Jason.'

'Good morning. Working, today?'

'No, I'm going to the shopping mall,' I sarcastically answered, putting on my shoes. 'How was the noodles?'

'It was great... Heads up!' He tossed a Starbucks' Grande thermos mug and a plastic container with sandwiches in them when I had my shoes properly on.

'Oh, my God! Is this for me?' I was so lightened up by this.

'No, it's for your boss,' he returned me the sarcasm.

I ran back into the house; even though, I should not with my shoes on and hugged him. 'You are the best! I love you so much!' I exclaimed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

'Love you, too, but next time take off your shoes.'

'I know,' I said, steping out of the apartment, and bid, 'Bye!'

'Bye.'

I got to my work place and read the post-it on top of the box. It said: _Enjoy -J_. I opened the box from there and ate the first bite on the right corner.

Oh, my God! It's hot!... Fuck you, Jason!

I looked down the box and saw another post-it with three indents. It read:

 _I know, I am._

 _Maybe later._

 _Ha ha ha... Alright, I was just playing around. I only added a little spice on the right corner, according to the position of the post-it before. It's only enough for a bite, so the whole thing is fine. -J_

I should have known... Well, at least, the second part did not work, and as he said, the whole thing was fine, including the coffee.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Scroll down to read. I intended to delete this section, but I found it too precious.

Dear Readers,

I just updated Chapter 19 (which I was not that proud of).

I also noticed that I could not keep up with writing a chapter a week, and each chapters were starting to be delayed from Wednesday to Friday to Saturday because I did not have enough words.

Chapter 18 was just a disaster, and I believed, I had been making more and more mistakes over time. I really do not want this story to be confusing and end up as something unreadable, so I will be taking a break.

 **I assure you, it won't be long. I will be back the first Wednesday of next month at the latest.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

Sincerely,

Anon001

P.S. In case you had not noticed, I have been making these stopper (*Sexual content below/above*). The content in between is mostly erotica and skipping them does not effect the story line.

* * *

After work, I came back home planning to be mad at him for the sandwich; even though, I did not really care of it. It was just surprising to taste the spice, but I did not hate it. I let myself in and saw him when I entered the apartment, but I just ignored him. I continued doing what I usually do and ended up at the sofa in my pajamas and on my phone like everyday. The only thing out of my routine was not talking to him.

He walked around at first uncertainly and decided to sit next to me on the sofa. 'You're not very talkative, today, ain't cha,' he spoke to me like he normally did, but I had no intention to reply him. 'Andrea. Can. You. Hear. Me,' he emphasized every words.

I put my phone down and eyed him furiously, before moving to my room. I could not believe that he did not know I was mad! He did not even care to ask about it when I got home! Was it that hard to say four words: how, was, the, and sandwich?! Like it did not have to even be heartfelt!

... And now, I was really frustrated by that none sense...

I facepalmed myself, feeling like an idiot overheated by something so stupid. I hated being mad, and I did not need anyone to make up for it because I would forget about it the next day. In contrast, I wanted to be mad at him for some unknown reason. I left my room again and sat beside him, waiting for him to say something, so I could stop acting like an idiot.

'You're mad?' he quested.

"Alright people, I sincerely want you to slowly clap for this almost thirty-year-old man who studied multiple languages and knew body language by heart. For at last, he finally understood what a passive woman would do when they were angry after spending more than five hours with her," I cheered quietly in my heart because I knew from here on, I did not have to continue being the annoying person. Also now, I regretted to not just pick his pocket and go out shopping from the beginning.

'You hate hot sauce that much?'

I gave him a meaningless sigh, but he took it otherwise.

'Alright, I'm sorry...'

I could hear, "but I'm blameless", without him saying it, but I was done irritating and took the technical apology. Soon, my inner was celebrating, while it just appeared as a little smile on my face.

He petted my head, and I moved down his arm to rest on his chest.

'Ow!'

Out of reflex, I jumped away and yelped, 'Sugar honey iced tea, I'm sorry!'

'It's fine. Just checkin' if yer still angry.'

I rolled my eyes and slapped his lap. 'My god, Jason! You didn't have to!'

'Really, it's nice to hear your voice, again,' he uttered with such a sweet smile.

'Feeling good to talk to you, too. Feeling good,' I replied, nestling on him. He rubbed my shoulder and laid a kiss on my forehead. 'You know, I wasn't really mad from the start. But then, I really was, and I found it extremely annoying,' I confessed, staring at our reflection on the black TV screen.

'So you weren't mad about the sandwich?'

'I wasn't... I don't even care, there was hot sauce in it.'

He cuddled me closer and seized my hand. 'Look at you... You didn't have to be mad, if you want my attention.'

I was unspeakable. Had I been doing that just to get his attention? Really, that just sounded sick. Really sick...

'I... I don't know. My reasoning is just... a pure disaster, right now. Please change the topic.'

'Why don't you tell me something about your family? You've seen most of mine, so tell me about yours.'

'Didn't you do any background check on me?'

'Of course, I did, but I want to hear it from you.'

They were simple words that I found incredibly soothing and accepting. Therefore, I began to explain, 'Mom usually ran for the office, but this year she got elected. Somehow, I had no idea how... Yeah, and now she got all those fundraising to do as a congresswoman. Right now, she met up with her friend, Diana, a lot more just to talk about that stuff, I don't really know. She never brought me to her workplace... But, on the other hand, my Dad took me to his camp when my Mom told him not to. He was the head of a group, called G.U.S.T., which, I guess, is a unit somewhere in the military...'

He watched me with revelation when I told him the organization name.

'G.U.S.T. is a classified unit, isn't it?' I puzzled.

'Umm... Yeah... but we know them. It's not new to me, but I don't think, they're allowed to tell anyone about that. I thought, it's a secret even to their family.'

'For your information, he didn't tell me. It's on the bloody badge! How would I know it's classified, if they had a badge for it?! He even took me to the headquarter since I was three and got his people to look after me!'

Jason discovered the obvious humor in a bewildering way and laughed his head off.

'Ha ha ha... Soooo funny... It's funny when you're not the one living the story...,' I commented with an angry tone, but I did not left the comforting spot on him.

'Alright, I'll stop laughing...' He tried to put an end to the laugh, but it returned as a snickering.

'Are you done?'

He impatiently calmed his laughter down and inquired, 'So that's where you got those skills?'

'Yup... Rebecca taught me karate. John taught me how to shoot. Mike homeschooled me. Iris gave me kendo lessons, but she left for a mission before we gone through all of it. You might wonder, why they chose to teach me karate and kendo. The answer was because they thought no one would find it suspicious when they know I got Japanese roots. They even thought about teaching me kyudo... I don't know why, but I felt like that was the dumbest excuse ever...'

'Then, what about your dad?'

'Dad? He's like the Triple C's kind of dad. He's always cool, caring, and... cautious. So, "Drea" would have been my ideal nickname, but it is "Andy" for a reason.' I answered the indirectly to the question.

'I meant, what he taught you?' Jason made it more specific.

'Well, he left me with them,' I left a long pause before I continued, 'and taught me sex-ed...'

My face was ridiculously red and still burning after I said it because I had never told anyone this, not even Alfred when we had a cup of tea that time.

Jason did not say a word for a while, so I was unsure of what he was thinking until he spoke, 'For the truth to be told, that was slightly unexpected... No, actually, it was very unexpected. I swear, I learnt it first time at school, not from Bruce. That old man waited until the end of semester to talk about it.'

'I know, right?! They should've put me in school!'

'So... was it awkward?'

'Luckily, no. He was so serious about it to the point that, nothing could be awkward. It was like, he was teaching a senior at med school.'

'Well, mine was,' he paused what he was going to say, and he changed into another subject. 'I felt like I forgot some important event that happened yesterday around noon until the time I woke up. Is there anything you can tell me that would jog my memories?'

'When you got here, you complained that I did not save any donut for you.'

'Donuts?... Is there anymore? I meant, is there anymore thing you can tell me?'

'I can't think of anything, right now,' I lied. Ignorance had always been the best.

'Oh, okay. Whenever you can think of something, tell me,' he replied, believing my deceit. 'Is there anymore donuts?'

'Nope, sorry.'

'Meh, it's fine.' He played with my hand in his palm for a couple seconds, until he came up with an unrelated topic. 'Let's go out, tomorrow.'

'Where to?'

'I don't know... I'm bored, sitting around the house and waiting to recover. I'll find out something, tomorrow.'

'Sure. I'm not working tomorrow, anyway.'

'I know,' he mumbled and rested his head on mine.

'Alright, I'm going to bed, now,' I declared when the clock ticked passed ten at night.

'I'll have to find stuff to do until you're up, then.'

'Just don't forget to take some rest, so you can recover properly,' I regarded, before moving into my room.

'Yes, ma'am,' he responded gleefully with an informal solute.

I shook my head and gave him a smile, entering my room. I sat on my bed and tried to sleep, but I was distracted by my phone. So, I ended up a fandom trash somewhere on Tumblr, sitting against the headboard. As my iPad was working on loading more post for me, Jason walked into my room.

'I thought, you were going to sleep,' he chanted.

'I said, "I'm going to bed", not going to sleep. I thought, you were going to do some stuff.'

'Well... My peaceful little thing ain't outside, so it's even harder for me not to get outta here.'

'I see... So if I was already sleeping, you're here to... watch me sleep?'

He shifted his eyes side way, avoiding eye contact, and answered, covering the back of his neck, 'Hmm... I don't know... Maybe.'

That was my rare chance to hit him on the nail with the inevitable truth of the feelings he had for me, so I did. 'Aww, you could just admit it, you love me so much that you can't take your eyes off me.'

He shook it off and climbed on the bed. He settled over my long sitting position and put down his roots around my mid-section. 'You're just a good pillow,' he minimized my importance.

'Well, you're also just a good bed table for me, too,' I reflected, lying the device on his back.

'But I can't live without my pillow.'

'Aww...' Hearing that, I cupped his face in my palms and smiled happily to an eskimo kiss, before giving him a peck on the lips.

'I meant, this one tho,' he teased with a satisfying smile, patting softly on the cushion near us.

I masked on a long-face, responding to his quip, and frowned, 'I hate you.'

'I love you, too,' he answered, pressing my hand against his kissers.

The scene should trigger at least some part of his memories, so I quizzed, 'Are you sure, you cannot remember what happened, yesterday?'

'I remembered only fragments of it. Still can't figure out how I got in here.'

'Oh... I see. Alright, I'm going to sleep, now. Can you move down a bit?'

'Nope,' he stubbornly popped the letter "P".

'Come on, Jason,' I rolled my eyes, 'Why are you being such a baby, today?' I pushed him up by his shoulders, while he was not even trying to hold himself up, and dug my body into the bed. 'Argh! You're fucking heavy,' I cursed for him to get off of me, once I got my head on the pillow behind me.

He ignored me and crawled up to my upper trunk, mushing his face in the valley of my bust. All of his body was still laying on top of me, but I could feel that, he somehow retained his weight from crushing my lungs.

'For real?' I bashed and hit the light off. I closed my eyes, but I was not asleep. Approximately five minutes passed, he left, and I was freed.

I shifted to my usual sleeping position on the side, and he came back and pulled me onto his chest. It was comfortable and warm. So, I stayed in his arm and clung into his warmth, listening to the sound of the clock ticking and his steadily pounding heart.

I wondered, if he was really brought back to life, why did this man choose to continue in such a terrifying life when he had the second chance to live in serenity.

Was it because of the thrill? The danger? Revenge? Or was it really from heartfelt? I did not know. Most of did not sound persuasive too, so I did not put them to account. I drifted into sleep.

The upcoming morning, he woke me up, kissing above my eyebrows. 'Good morning, Love,' he greeted.

'Good morning,' I responded, opening my eyes to see... a zombie mask! 'Oh, my goodness!' I screeched like a cat, jumping off my bed, and fell on the floor with my butt down first. 'Ow!'

'Computer, did you record that?' I heard Jason talking, but I could not see him from the angle with my bed blocking.

'Yes, Jason,' a male American voice replied like some type of enchanted Siri.

I sat up on the floor and had my arms on the bed, staring listlessly at him who had some type of glasses on and was holding the mask. 'Dammit, Jason! That hurts. What were you playing?' I hissed.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to,' he technically apologized, not so heartfelt. Would he ever be heartfelt? Well, no one knew. He never seem to regret anything he did. He smiled and carried me off the floor onto his laps against his chest on the bed. 'I didn't expected you to be that scared... You were so cute.' he continued the following part with light giggles.

'Why are you wearing glasses?' I quested through the rectangle lenses with thick edges. To be honest, he was still handsome with the nerdy cheaters. Or maybe, it was my eyes that view him in an unusual way.

'I made them, last night. A minimized version of all the available functions. Wanna try?' he offered.

'Sure.'

He gave it to me, and I put it on. Like he said, there was target lock, and it can be zoomed in and out with the buttons on its right leg. It seemed like there were more gadgets on the tail of the legs, but I was not that interested, right now. 'Can I access the clip you took of me?'

'Yes, of course!'

'How?'

'I'm not telling you, and you're not deleting it.'

'Fine,' I pouted. Since I had no chance to learn how to use it, I would not bother. I turned around and asked for his opinion, 'How do I look?'

'As beautiful as always, Love,' he complimented, displaying his carefree smile.

I smiled back and showed him my gratitude, 'Thank you.' Then, I continued, 'I used to wear something like this when I was in collage, too.' I took the glasses off and lend it back to him.

'You got bad eyesights?'

'No, my eyes are good... It's like an indirect way to warn guy that I'm a nerdy workaholic, so they don't bother me.'

'But you didn't wear it when we first met.'

'I had something else on to show you that I'm a fandom trash. Just the wrong fandom on the wrong day.'

'Honestly, it's a good first impression... Tell me, how did you feel when you knew he's me?'

'Don't let me begin... It's like a dream falling apart...'

It really was. I liked Red Hood for getting things done, but I loved Jason for being the sassy but kind and reliable roommate with dark humor. Red Hood was just an ideology, while Jason was the guy I chose to begin a relationship with. I did not want them to be the same person. I truly wished, they were not. I would rather know them both as two different people, than knowing that Jason might never return one night...

The truth crashed on to me that, it was right. He could have been dead somewhere, and I would not have a clue... Those feelings, I had never thought of, made me doubt myself from the first move. I should have declined the date, he invited, when he already once came back almost a corpse. I should have at least kept in mind about this, before accepting the offer... I should not have fallen in love with this specific guy since the start... I hugged my knees, realizing what I have done to myself. What if one day I really loss him?

He observed my depression and interrogated, 'Am I that bad?'

'No, no. You're not. There's some truth I have to suck it up.' I shifted my head side to side with his hands intertwined with mine, telling him and myself that I was fine.

He wrapped his arms around all of me and kissed my back, consoling me. 'Hey, Bug, I lived twice, but there's no way, I'll actually die the third time,' he answered like he read my mind. 'not including the fake deaths, of course,' he continued. 'Well if I died, you will get the privilege to be the first one I haunt.' It was not at all soothing or even humorous back then, but it surely had me cried.

My tears started dripping, and I could not say a word without the shaking voice, 'I love you, Jason.'

'I love you, too, Honeybuns,' he responded, tightening the hug.

For the short ten minutes, I was sobbing and repetitively confessing to him because it was my first time feeling such an anxiety. It reached its limit to where I was ridiculously anxious that I would not have tomorrow to say those words to him. He might not understand my feelings then, but all I wanted to make sure was he heard it.

'Lollipop, shall we go outside? There's a festival going. It will cheer you up,' he whispered into my ear.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hands. I felt better, but then when I faced him, I could not stop the droplets from tracing down my face again. I tossed my arms around his neck and continued crying my eyes out on his shoulder. My brain demanded me to stop, but my eyes would not listen and still flooding out all the unnecessary.

In the meantime, I was extremely grateful that he was not annoyed by my action and was there as my remedy because even I had enough of myself, crying from such a thing. It was a feeling I had never felt before.

As rational as I could be then, I believed, the anxiety was fear: the fear of losing him unconditionally.

Once I named out the problem I was dealing with, I successfully calmed myself down several minutes after. Alright, Girl, you got this! I took another deep breath in and out and eased on his chest.

'Jason,' I softy called, 'you're taking me somewhere, right?' I waited for his answer, but he did not say a word. 'Jason?' I repeated at a louder volume.

'Hmm?' he eventually responded, rubbing his hand on his face like someone who just woke up. It was not his fault for dozing off. No matter how bad it might sound, I would do something similar.

'So... Where are we going?' I quested. I knew, he mentioned the place, but it was lost while my emotions overflowed.

'Ah, right! There's a fall festival Downtown... if you want to come.' He displayed a concerning look, telling me that it was totally cool with him, if I declined.

Oh boy, he had his understanding, kind, and nice type of personalities full out! Why, now, when I was trying accept that one day those kindness would disappear?!

I quickly wiped my tears away and replaced it with a little smile before I returned into the cycle of sadness, I had no wills to set a foot on. I got out of the comfort zone on him and paced to get the towels in my closet.

He watched me walk and weirdly asked, 'You're going to use the bathroom?'

'Of course! What other things can I do with these towels?' I answered, looking at his face. A sign of competition presented that he wanted to use the single bathroom before me. 'Nah, ah, ah. Not happening,' I remarked as his date.

'We'll see,' he smirked, dashing off the bed.

We were couples, but we were also roommates. Sometimes we got to play fair like roommates, if the couples part did not work out. I ran right behind him and ducked under his arm, while he was opening the door because I could. Two more steps, and I was already one step into the bathroom.

'I'm in. You're out. We're done. Me, first,' I closed the door fabulously like Elsa not bothering the cold.

I heard him, laughing at himself, and commented, 'Now, that's my girl!'

God! I must have won the lottery, meeting him. He had been doing all that to lift up my spirit, and it was effective. I acknowledged, my mood was swinging all over the place, yet I opened the door, again.

He was half-sitting against the back of the sofa to my northwest. I made my way to him and gave him a hug out of gratitude, a peck from love, and another hug for insurance. I cupped his cheek and told him, 'You are just awfully too adorable to die. Do not die. Never die. Not on my watch.' He was going to add on it, so I stopped him because I knew what it was about. 'Not the second time.'

His signature smirk appeared. 'You read my mind, Honeybuns... But could you read this?'

To my surprise of his sudden action, I was not prepared for his amorous kiss and was easily dropped on my knees. I truly doubt, I was not drugged between each the session, but seriously, I did not mind. The only problem was, I did not tell him to stop.

He broke the kiss. 'I'll take the shower first, then. Thanks for the towel, Love,' he viciously paraded behind the door.

Meanwhile, I had to meditate to slow down my racing heart. I was certain that, if I had some type of heart disease, I should never have any romantic relationship with him. It was all his fault. I would not have to meditate, if he carried on. Pardon my rant, but I had no intention of not blaming him about this.

About two hours later after we had the breakfast he prepared, we walked to the outdoor carnival. I was in the black dress, I used his card to pay, and my new four to six white quilted shoulder bag with a side opening. He was in his casual teal blue shirt, mid toned jeans, and matching black belt and boots. Around three-quart of the walk, he told me to walk faster.

'Why are you in such a rush? It's not like we have to go home before dark,' I argued.

'Please, I beg of you,' he beseeched. I tried to look behind, but he blocked my face back. 'Don't turn around. Please, don't.'

It urgently triggered my curiosity because he even begged and said "please" twice. 'Alright. I won't turn around.'

We walked faster, but I also took my compact out of the purse. I reflected the mirror behind us and found Bruce Wayne.

'What are you doing?' he questioned.

'Not turning around,' I simply answered.

He closed my compact and put it back in my purse. 'Now, you know the reason... Let's go.'

He looked like he got ants in his pants, so I teased, 'I'm going to ask Bruce Wayne for an autograph.' This was my chance to make him pay for what he did before.


	21. Chapter 21

'No, you're not,' he against the idea and kept his hand behind my back, so I could not make a u-turn. 'Why do you even need his autograph?'

'It's a way for me to give him my business card. Do you know how much I would make being his company's financial consultant?!'

'Are you serious?' He gave me the "you are going to sell me out for your own benefits" look, making my want of teasing him a need.

'I'm dead serious.'

I tried to keep my face as straight as possible, but I could not up with his dumbfounded expression. We were at the main entrance, but I could not step forward without laughing.

'Alright... C'mon.' He took me by the wing and dragged me into the populated zone, so we would blend into the crowd.

'Okay, okay. I can walk,' I told him, coughing the laugh out, and he let go. 'I was joking, but you took it so serious,' I admitted.

'Who would find such a thing funny?'

'Well, there's me, and... I don't really care about the other.' I paused and returned playing with him, 'So, Daddy's rebellious boy, where are we going next?'

He ruffled my hair like he was squishing a pie on my head, but luckily for me, there was no pie around.

'Alright! I'm sorry! Please stop,' I raised my white flag.

He smiled at me and answered, 'We're going to play some of the games. I can't believed, I stayed at home for two days!'

'Before we start, let me ask you a question. What type of game can I play with you and win? Because I might as well chose to play that.'

'There's none,' he confidentially declared.

'You're right,' I agreed. 'There's like zero point zero, maybe another zero, one percent chance, I could win against you, so... Eh, let's play everything!'

I scavenged around and found a dart throwing booth. 'What about that?'

We bought the tickets at the tent and later exchanged a ticket for darts. When all the five darts displayed in front of me, I figured out a better game.

'I bet you twenty bucks, you'll get under 180 points,' I dared.

'What about a hundred bucks, if I get 250 blindfolded?'

'Ooouu, risky! I'm in. Hundred dollars, if you can get five bulls blindfolded.'

'Prepare the money, Love,' he continued with the genetic grin.

Damn, that arrogant grin! There was no way he could do that without seeing. He took out a long handkerchief from his pocket and blocked his sight with it.

'Whenever you're ready,' I told him, giving the watcher a hand signal to move out of the way. I had no idea where the dart could be flying to.

The first one flew off his hand and landed perfectly in the middle. I gasped but not aloud, so he did not know if he made it, or not. However for sure, it will be harder for him to cram the other four in the same small spot.

'That was a bullseye, wasn't?' he doubted.

'I didn't say that,' I replied, before my absent of sound gave away the answer.

'Then, of course, it's the 50 points.'

He threw four more without no hesitation and took the blindfold off. He was full of himself, laying his eyes on the small spot. I brought out my phone, taking a photo of the outcome, and posted it with a caption, "Goodbye, my Benjamin Franklin. :'("

I placed my phone in the side opening of the purse and pulled out my wallet. I picked out the hundred-dollar note and forced it in his hand unwillingly. He received it with such pride. He placed it in his wallet and tugged it in the back pocket.

'Well done!' cried the organizer.

However before we got the teddy bear, wearing green overall, someone rumbled onto me from the crowd. I immediately checked my purse and stared up at the long anti-thieves mirror on the tent to see the person behind.

'Someone took my wallet,' Jason claimed.

'You, too? Well, someone took my phone,' I replied.

'Right, red cap, black hoodies, female, five-foot-two,' he directed.

'Left, no cap, blue jacket, male, five-eleven,' I responded the information, I gathered of the pocket picker.

He spotted the guy for me, while I looked for the girl. She was not associating with anyone, so I believed, she worked on her own. The wallet might still be with her. I shifted my eyes when she shortly turned back.

'Yours is a wolf pack,' he said, indicating that the guy that took my phone worked with other pocket pickers.

'Well, yours works alone,' I responded, receiving the jumbo-sized stuffed animal from the supervisor.

We walked side by side unsuspiciously to the right a couple of steps until he continued, 'I'll go get your phone.'

'Okay, sure, I'll get your wallet. We'll meet here,' I replied, pacing faster to the woman, while he turned back to find who my phone was with.

I acted like I tripped and landed on the ground with her. People around was pretty generous to move away and give us space. She was a normal street kid, dressed in whatever she could find on the road. I estimated her age at seventeen, or younger. I put the facts aside first and quickly ran my hands through her pockets as I helped her stand. The wallet was in her hoodies, and it was now in the front pocket of the bear's overall. I patted her shoulders several time, asking if she was okay and showing that I had nothing except the stuffed toy. Then, I walked away with the subject retrieved and secured in my purse.

Fuck, I was evil... I acted like I helped her, but I was actually picking her pockets... Well... she did it first, I excused myself... Wait... She was a minor!

I caught up with her and grabbed her hand. 'Honey, just a second!' I fetched my business card and some change. 'Take them. If you're in any trouble, call my number. Any trouble at all. I feel so horrible bumping on to you,' I told her.

She nodded and took it, trying to have the least contact with me, so she could get her way around. At that point, I did not help her much, but at the very least, if she needed a bailer, she got a number she could call. We could have a long talk from then.

I walked back to the meeting point, and Jason was already waiting for me. 'Thanks for waiting,' I appreciated, exchanging his wallet with my phone.

'You're welcome, and thank you.'

'No problem,' I looked through the corner of my eyes, and there it was, "The Outlaws" booth.

Ohmigod! I literally screamed inside, trying to keep it in though, because I wanted the Red Hood doll. It was so adorable. It was also a limited edition, I could not put my hands on! I must not miss this chance... And he should never know, I was fangirling.

'Andrea?' Jason called me. 'Were you listening at all?'

'Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What did you say again?'

'Do you want something? We're in front of a food truck,' he extended.

I absently replied, 'Ah! Sure! I'll have what ever you ordered.'

'You sure?'

'Of course! Now, please excuse me for a second. I need to go somewhere.'

'Sure, I'll come with you in a second.'

'Stay here! Err... Lady's stuff, ya know.' I was obviously a bad date, today, but he would not know I got another priority. I gave the bear to him, and he received it.

His whole face was questioning me, but he simply replied, 'Alright. Okay. I'll wait here.'

'Cool, I'll see you!' I pressed my puckered lips against his and ran to the targeted booth.

Alright, I got about five minutes to win this bloody thing, before he began finding me. Luckily, it was a shooting game, so there was a higher possibility that I would get it done in time.

'Alright, ma'am,' I stopped in front of the tent, 'I don't have a lot of time. Tell me, what do I do to get that doll?'

She was surprise and was going to exclaim something unrelated, so I stopped her, 'Skip the in shock part that, you didn't see me coming here. Please just answer.'

'Cost five tickets and three bulls in all nine targets and a can,' she eventually instructed.

'Fair enough.' I gave her the required tickets, and she gave me the gun with two additional mags. Each of them have ten shots, so I could only miss twice. It was hard to miss by all mean with only a meter away.

I aimed and started shooting. I tried not to stop a full second between each fire and made sure they would not land on the same spot in the center, so there was a clear evidence that I hit it.

The keeper was astonished, but no one cared for now, I got to get this done before time was up. I was down to the can after thirty seconds, not missing any shot yet. The can was the last one, and my hands started to shake from celebrating too early in my head.

Alright, I breathed and counted in my breath, 'Three... two... one...' I pulled the trigger and the can fell off the table. 'YASSS!'

'Ma'am, the prize please!' I cried like a kid asking their mother for sweets.

She was still surprised by the stunt, but she was well enough to give me what I earned. I turned around, and someone bumped on me.

'Please, it's a great day! Don't ruin it!' I insisted whom ever it was.

'So you ditched me to win this doll?' said the familiar voice.

I looked up, and the certain someone was, the guy that supposed to wait for me in front of the food truck. 'I can explain,' I respond quietly with an embarrassed smile, hiding the stuffed Red Hood behind me. He was early.

He stood in silence with the bear clipped to his wing, commanding me to continue.

'I'm sorry... I could help myself... I swear, I don't collect every edition. Not trying to creep you out, or anything. I just really like this one,' I whined. I was also flustered, knowing he was him. If I did not, I would be the one pulling Jason into this game, but I knew... Wait a second... He was angry because I ditched him to get Red Hood, which was him... so did that not mean. 'You're jealous of yourself?'

'I'm jealous of myself?' he rephrased and gave it a thought.

I gave him a cheeky smile, and let him figure it out himself.

Then, he answered both of us an octave higher, 'Of course not! Ahem...' He toned down the key and changed the subject. 'Take it, it's yours,' he continued, giving me a warm hotdog.

'Thank you,' I did as if the scene never happened. I believed, teasing him more would equal to digging my own grave on the far side. I took a bite out of it, and as I thought, it was spicy from the chili and sauce. I was not surprised, nor hated the taste, so no curse slipped off my mouth.

'Like it?' he asked for my opinion.

'Yeah, it's good,' I responded.

'Turn around the corner,' he directed.

'This one? Woah!'

He pulled me into a gap and held for a moment. The turned his face around to invest something, so I checked it out, too.

'Isn't that Dick and Damian?' I quested.

He did not answer and took my hand, 'Oh, look! I'll go get you some cotton candy!'

I rolled my eyes and went with the flow. He was obviously a tsundere. He knew they loved him, yet he acted cold toward them. Seriously, I could not wait for Dick to give him a hug.

Later, we went through several more games and headed home because there was too much stuff to carry. He won most of them, but it did not matter. On our fifteen minutes walk, I shared another blue cotton candy with him.

'This thing is so sweet,' I clarified, feeling so hyped by the amount of glucose I had today.

'After all, it was made from sugar,' he stated, picking a piece off the stick.

'Funny, you're not made of sugar, yet all of you are even sweeter,' I lamely flirted, melting the candy in my mouth. 'I swear, I'll have diabetes just to be with you.'

It was lame. I knew, and I did not care. However, I had no ideal that he was going to be muted by that. He was bitting his bottom lip, and all of his ears were red.

'Are you... blushing?' I innocently asked.

'No,' he answered shortly.

'It's getting pretty cold out here, isn't it? Do you have a fever?' I checked his temperature with the back of my hand on his forehead. His cheek morphed into the color of rose. '...You are obviously blushing,' I teased.

'I told you, I'm not. It's just the cold.' He pushed my hand away and walked into the apartment's lobby.

'Hey, Jason! You can't be that adorable, right? Tell me, which part did you blush for?'

'Just so you wait,' he mumbled and stomped into the elevator, 'and by the way, it's lame.'

'I know,' I replied, skipping into the box.

We dropped the prizes on the floor and started putting some things away. Unexpectedly, the sound of a police car chased on a motorcycle with the sirens on passed by us.

Jason checked his phone for the news, and I quested, 'Are you leaving?'

'Nope, not my shift,' he answered, reaching into his pockets. 'Oh, look, what I've found!' It was some type of toffee, and he did not give a second thoughts before devouring it. He tossed the wrapper in the trash and washed his dusty hands resulted from unpacking the stored rewards. He backed away, giving me room to throw away the plastic covers and clean up my messy hands.

I turned around, observing as he finished the treat and licked his parted lips. It creeped me out, realizing that I was staring at the glossy reflection and imagining how candied the taste would be.

'May I kiss you?' I asked, not thinking twice.

'Hehe. Sure, but why just a kiss, if you can ride me?' he quiped, not taking my inquire of permission seriously.

I leaned on him against the counter and began making out with him. He tasted like honey, and I eager for more. I pushed myself slightly on him, adding some more fuel into the fire. He did not fight to dominate me, which was splendid because I was the one remembered the unfulfilling night. And, I did not want that to happen again, especially with the pleasant sugary aroma.

I traced down his jawline with my hands in his hair and whispered into his ear, 'May I... ride you, tonight?'

He was shock by how bold I was, and the truth that I was not playing around. He smirked. 'Of course... I'll make you scream until dawn, my love,' he gently brushed my auricle with his hot deep voice.

He bussed me with my arms around his neck and his hands on my waist. As everything around us was heating up, I let him go and ambled into my bedroom. I stopped, holding the the door knob, because he was not behind me. I questioned him with a look, and he replied me the same.

'Jason, you dummy, we're using the bed,' I stated.

He got it, now, and followed me inside the dark room. He literally swept me off my feet and laid me on the center of the bed. It was a déjà vu for me, for he had done this last two nights ago. He just did not realized it.

 ***Sexual content below***

I was under his body and in between his arm. He faintly kissed me and halted to puzzle, 'This is not a dream, right?'

'No,' I answered, resting my hands on his board chest.

'And last time was a dream neither?'

'Nope, if you meant last two nights ago.'

'What?! So that was for real, and I just didn't make things up? ...And I really almost had sex with you before?'

'Er... yeah. We almost did... Is there a problem?'

'There's obviously one, I made a promise...'

I nodded, waiting to get back on track.

'And, fuck, I didn't keep the promise.' I heard him slapped himself on the face mentally.

'Well, you are on top of me, now, and you're going to break another promise, if you don't shut up now and fuck me hard,' I warned him accidentally without a filter.

'Fuck you hard?' he amused himself, repeating what I slipped.

Shit, did I say that? Probably, my id... 'Stop smiling like an idiot! Get over it.' I bashed out of embarrassment and kissed him. I used some of his tricks I learnt from him over the course and rolled on top of him. I broke the session with a bite on his bottom lips and stood on my knees.

'Damn! Yer gettin' too good at this, my love,' he groaned.

I smirked and replied breathlessly, 'What can I say, I got a good mentor.' I bended down and pecked his Adam's apple. I unbuttoned his shirt and caressed every new inch and every new scar I discovered of him. From time to time, there would be a point where I traced my hands over the tensed part of him. I would stare into his eyes and kiss the spot to watch him gasp and listen to his wild heartbeat.

Once the belt and the last button was undone, he wrestled over and got back above me. I was laying on my stomach, focusing over my shoulder on Jason who was pulling his shirt off with the dim light shined from the window. I could only see his outlines, but God, that was already one hell of a shape.

He slowly arched down and whispered in such manner that melted me, 'You must be very hot in the dress. Let me help you take it off.' I could not help but cringe to the warmth of the sexy voice, seeing death a few steps away. Worth it, if I must experience a cardiac arrest.

He held on to my hair and pulled the dress's zipper down to my hip. He snapped my bar strap within a second and kissed the nape of my neck, as he slowly glided the strips down my shoulder. He flipped my body to face him and took the one piece pass my legs.

The next second, he scattered my clothes on the floor, and I was left with my basic charcoal panties. He stared at me, as if he was memorizing every details. I could sense the heat from his gaze that made me panted, but I swear, he probably did not even notice, my lingerie matched.

'I love you, my most beautiful,' he chanted, without taking his eyes off me.

My heart skipped a beat, listening to how sincere he was. I could no longer felt how fast it was racing when I replied, 'I love you more, Jason.'

He approached me once more with his hands traveling across my body, exploring his unknowns. He planted a kiss on my mouth and deepen it, picking up the speed in each moves he made with such a passion I had never encountered before. He gently cupped my face with one of his hands, while the other naughtily progressed lower and lower. The hand hooked the string around my waist and dragged it down until I was fully exposed to the cold. He broke away, and I remained breathless as our eyes met before he glided down and devoured me.

He earned my moans with every lick between my folds. He changed it up, and his hands soon played some roles. He slowly circled around my bead with his thumb, and not long later, his first two fingers slipped a few inches inside me. I was convinced that, one would have been more than enough when I felt the two, stretching my inner walls. He continued on the search and locked on the rippled surface of mine, tuning me until he heard the right key.

I gradually became more and more sensitive to his touch. I could feel my muscles relaxing like the shore which the water chose to receded before the tsunami. He sensed it too and sped up the pace. 'Jason,' I cried, digging my nails into his least working wrist because my reflexes wanted it to stop, but, 'Good lord, don't stop!' I needed this.

'Ahnn!' a long groan escaped my grinding teeth, as I hit climax. He kissed me, swallowing the leaked moans I made because he would not retreat his digits until I stopped trembling.

As I recovered, I let my hand traveled down his pecs, his abs, and his strong v-cut to his hard member. I wrapped my fingers around him and added some grips. He grunted on my shoulder, so I quested, 'Was that too hard?'

'No. It's perfect,' he replied, bringing me on top, so I was in a better position.

I took off the clothing he had left and held him in my hand with the same grip. I stroked him up and down from the head to the base. Average would have been an understatement, but enormous would have been hyperbole. He was thick, that was definitely. Hope it fit.

'May I?' my thoughts slipped.

'There's no need to ask, my love,' he answered, sinking his hand into my hair.

I began licking his staff as if he was my favorite popsicle. He tasted like the balanced combination of salt and sour cream, and I liked it. I put him in my mouth as much as I could without chocking myself and used my hand to work on the rest. Suddenly, my hair became a nuisance that I made him hold on in a pony.

I glanced at him, making sure that I was doing it right because he was not making a lot of noise. His eyes met mine unintentionally, and something triggered his member to throb at the tip of my tongue. I left him for a second to stand on my knee and pushed my hair back again. He used the time to adjust himself and sit against the headboard.

I kneeled up close and told him, 'Let your voice out, Hot Stuff. I want to hear it.'

He stopped me before I went back under the sheet. 'Let's skip the appetizer,' he said, reaching into the drawer of the side table on his half, 'I'm hungry. I want the main dish.' He torn the package with his teeth and rolled the condom on his staff. He fondled my breast and commanded, 'Ride me, Beautiful.'

I placed my forehead on his and smiled. It was nice to acknowledge that I was not the only one wet and aching for him. I lowered my hip on him bit by bit with an arm around his shoulder to steady my body. I could feel his top was pressuring my entrance and dilating the walls apart as I forced him in. He fit snugly, it kind of stung uncomfortably for me at first, but it eased.

He noticed it, but I held him with a kiss before he asked, 'Are you alright? You're very tight.'

'I'm fine, just give me a second. It's been a while.'

Once the pain set aside, I began moving gently. I had his member pressed on all of my sweet spots at once and filled me up deeper in each thrust I made. It did not took me long to find pleasure in this as I called his name over and over, holding him closer to me.

Minutes later, I was hanging on the edge again, so I slowed the motion down and ground on him. Just before I calmly came, he groped my ass and hammered hard me from below. The small shivers and trembles, I was expecting, twisted into a claws-digging and high-pitch scream as he hit homerun with every thrust. He raced inside the severely sensitive part of mine until I had to tap out with my whole body shivered in his arms.

'Should we stop?' he puzzled.

I caught my breath and shook my head. He snickered and pulled me into a kiss, laying my back on the bed. He rested my leg on his shoulder and teased me with his tip on my slit before he entered. It was satisfying to feel him filled me up again.

His rhythm was more rapid than before with the control, and so was the depth. He found sweet spots, I never knew I had, and played with it. I was going to cum again when I heard his low groans.

'I'm gonna cum, Jason!' I claimed and told him, 'Cum with me.'

I held him closer and kissed him upon the incredible impact the next moment. I felt him throbbing and pulsing within me, not to mention the warmth of his semen that was still pumping and expanding the latex. I both wished to feel all of it without the condom but more with it under many circumstances.

We were both sweaty and out of breath, especially me. I could not believe, he was still hard when he came out, while I would no longer stood up and laid still on the bed. Everything was a little bit too fuzzy at the mean time; even though the light was already on.

I remembered, he stood on his knees, watching me repeat the same words to him like a broken record, 'Amazing... You're amazing... You're so amazing...' Yada yada yada, it was too embarrassing to remember anyway.

I did not know what he said in respond, but I guessed, it was around, 'You're awesome, too. Second round?' He also touched himself while saying it, appearing extremely hot to me.

I could not resist; even though I was already drowned with dopamine. Or maybe, it was because I was drowning in it that made me said, 'You promised me until dawn, Jason. Until dawn.'

I pulled him into a smooch filled with desire for more. He smirked, grabbing another condom in the drawer, and kissed the life out of me.

"I'm going to call tomorrow a sick day."

 ***Sexual content above***

I woke up the next afternoon, feeling all numb and sore but also amazing. I looked around, but he was no longer around. I rolled around in bed, not really ready to walk around. I was worn out and most of all lazy. Luckily, I had an electronic device in reach and began scrolling on the news today. There was headlines about the robbing last night and nothing else interesting.

Cold... I buddled myself in the blanket. I wondered, where was my personal heater. I thought, we were going to have a moment waking up together. I guessed not, so I stayed on my bed until I was energetic enough to do anything, including laundry.


	22. Chapter 22

Alright, it was time to get something done. I took a warm shower and had on some lose T-shirt and short to begin my day; even though, it was almost noon when I checked the time. I put a load of beddings and sheets through the washer and replaced them with something fresh. I knew, I was a clean freak, and I learnt to live with it.

I made myself a cup of coffee and read some magazines online. Nothing was more comforting than sitting in the corner of the sofa with a blanket. I let out a sigh, and there was an alert to my room from the lobby. I was too lazy to get up, so I turned on the TV and used the peephole camera. A ginger with red cap was standing in front of the camera with a guitar case and a girl about six, or maybe seven year old, with her suitcase.

'Hi! Who's this?' I spoke, through the monitor.

'It's Roy. Is Jaybird here?' the man answered and asked.

I was not sure what his intention was, so I acted as a maid. 'I sincerely apologize, I'm just here to clean up the room. Mr. Todd is not here, right now. Would you like me to leave a message?'

'Err... Sure. Tell him, "Roy Harper, his bestie, was here." He should know to call me back."

Jason's best friend? This was interesting. 'Roy Harper? Is that Lian?' I quested, referring to the day I played chess with Jason in Chapter 11. Jason told me, his friend had a daughter with the name.

'Yeah, that's her name... How did you know this?'

'It doesn't really matter come on in. Third floor on the elevator and room B,' I pressed on the buss button.

'Thanks.'

My hair was extremely damp at the time, so I dried it up a little just to be presentable. It did not take them long to knock on the door.

I opened the door and greeted them, 'Hey, come in!'

The kid was shy, and the man was confused. 'Jaybird?' he uttered.

'?' I inquired him with a look.

'What the hell?!... Oops, Daddy's sorry! How did you turn into a girl?! And why are you hot as f?!' he bewildered.

'Oh, pardon my manners! I'm not Jason. My name is Andrea. It would be interesting to see him as a woman though, and thank you for the compliment, I guess. Would you like some water? Coffee? Or anything?' I smiled, ushering them inside.

The man who claimed to be Jason's best friend would probably also be Red Hood's partner in crime, Arsenal. I picked up more evidences when I saw him in person. He was generally attractive and well-built, but not made of bricks. His height was in between me and Jason, so I would consider him as tall. He seemed younger, but my guts said he was older than Jason. By all means, it would not effect that much. The dark blue hoodies and jeans he wore, in contrast with his daughter's pink sweater and black leggings, did not cover the dark straight perpendicular line with his pointer and middle finger. It was expected for an archer; therefore, the big solid guitar case, I saw, was possibly not holding a base, or anything similar.

'Water, please,' he later answered. He doubtfully walked in and sat on the bar seats with his daughter.

'And, would you like some juice?' I inquired the girl. 'There's apple and orange.' She was adorable, and the jade-toned eyes and black shoulder-length hair were additions to the look.

'Water, should do. Thank you. She has too much sugar today,' he replied for her.

'Okay.' I got two glasses from the cupboard. I filled them with water in the fridge. 'Here.'

'Thank you,' he appreciated. The girl said the same, but with such a quiet voice. Adorable. 'Are you some type of A.I. Jason made?' he continued.

'Yes, indeed, I am,' I playfully answered.

'How long have you been here?' He completely believed me. Would that mean, Jason could make robots?!

'Two months, and seventeen days,' I made up a number. I was not sure, how long I had been here, but I bet, it had been pretty long.

'Not so long after I left him... He must be very lonely,' the man became more relaxed and dramatic, learning I was a robot. I guaranteed, I was not. He stared at me, while I paced to my coffee. 'How did he made you look so realistic?'

'I don't know,' I replied, wondering if genius people lived in the same world as I did because apparently he had no grasp of reality. Or maybe, it was me who had been blinded by the government. I took a sip of my hot-soon-to-be-cold beverage, and the door became unlocked.

'Hey, Love! You're up,' Jason spoke, as he barged inside with s full shopping bag. He saw me huddled in the blanket and interrogated without noticing the guests, 'You look tired. Are you okay?'

He cupped my cheek so tenderly, so I leaned on to it. Last night was sweet and pleasant, and I acquired to never underestimate a vigilante's stamina. 'Yeah, I'm tired. You really did keep me up all night... I guess, I wasn't really prepared for what I asked for.'

He smiled with adoration and pulled me into a kiss. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too... and by the way, we have some guests.' I turned around and saw the man's thrilled and astonished face. He must thought, Jason was fooling around with his own creation.

'Oh, Roy. I didn't see you there,' he did not sound enthusiastic until the found the little girl, 'Oh, look, who is this?!' He earned the girl a shy smile, and he lowered down with his arms open. 'Come on, give Uncle Jason a big huggy!' he exclaimed.

The girl left her father's side and jumped into him. He spun her a round underarm and hoisted her to his side. The quiet girl became so lively and happy, and the scene was so heartwarming... Seriously, I had never regretted using condoms this much in my entire life.

'So why are you here?' Jason inquired.

'Just want to see you. Like checking on how you're doing,' he shrugged his shoulders.

'There's more, isn't it?'

'Yeah... I panicked... You know what, you're right. People don't stay dead here... Jade came back and took Lian out of the League. Now, Lian is with me while she's cutting off the ties, and I don't know what to do.'

'So you brought her here.'

'You're on the top of my list.'

'How long are you guys staying?'

'Umm... About that... Jade wants me to help her, so... Can we leave her with you for four, or five days? I don't know who to go to anymore. You're the only one on the list. You're the list,' he pleaded.

He hesitated. 'We need to talk,' Jason let the girl down and brought me to the bedroom.

'I'm okay with that,' I told him, once he closed the door.

'I'm not. I'm not patient enough to wait that long!'

'What are you waiting for?'

'Argh! I'm not waiting for anything!'

'Then, it's fine to let the girl stay, right?'

'No...'

'Well then, it's a no. We'll just have to tell him that,' I concluded his conclusion.

'But he doesn't know where to go anymore,' Jason began debating with himself.

'Then, let her stay.'

He nuzzled my neck and whined, 'You don't understand... I know, I will want to make love with you again, and I don't think, I can wait that long.'

'My love, you just did yesterday, and I can assure you, my body won't recover until the next few days. Until then, I won't be having any sex.'

'Really?'

'Nope, no sex.' He was a little disappointed, but he respected my decision. Another element that made me loved him. 'Where have you been anyway?' I queried since he was not with me when I woke up.

'I thought, you were tired, so I let you sleep. I thought, you were going to be hungry too, so I went out and bought some eggs, bacons, and ice-cream.'

'That's very caring of you. Thank you.'

'You're welcome. Now, we got to tell him, she's staying.'

'Yup.'

'Okay.' He left the room and announced, 'Alright. She's staying with us.'

'Thanks, Jaybird! You're my life savor!' The man gave Jason a squishing hug and found his way to the exit. He blended down and talked to his daughter, 'Bug, give Daddy a hug. You're going to stay with Uncle Jason for a while, okay? Be nice, alright?'

She hugged him and replied, 'Yes, Daddy!'

'You're not an A.I., aren't you?' he changed his subject to me.

'No, I'm made of flesh and blood,' I truthfully answered.

'God, I really thought you were one at first! You fooled me once, but you won't fool me twice. Anyway, See you guys, later!' He sat on his ankle and bid the girl a last good bye. 'I'll miss you, Bug,' he kissed her forehead.

'I'll miss you, too, Daddy!' she exclaimed, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.

'Bye,' he said one last time and left after all of us responded.

We went back inside, and I introduced myself to the kid again, 'My name is Andrea. What's your?'

She stared at me and hid behind Jason's leg. Did I scare her? I did not know.

'Say something, Bug,' Jason encouraged her with a pat on her back.

'Daddy said, she's a robot. I don't like robots.'

'A robot?' Jason quested me.

'God, no! I'm not a robot. Your friend thought, you made me, and I went with the flow. I didn't know, he was going to take it that seriously,' I excused myself.

'When Daddy asked her how long she had been here. She answered it in months and days. That's what robots do!' she debated.

'I answered, two months and seventeen days. It was just some sh- stuff I made up!' I defended. I almost slipped, but I did not. It was not the whole word anyway.

'Oh, my God! Lian, you're right! She must really be a robot!' Jason dramatically sided her.

'For real?' I against. He nodded and backed away with the girl. 'Very well, then. Lian Harper, you have exposed me. Be ready to suffer!' I acted and chased after them.

'Ahhhh!' she screamed when I caught her. 'Uncle Jay, help!'

'Freeze!' I commanded with my hand toward him, and he tagged along.

'Oh, no, Bug! I can't move!'

'Now, you're mine!' I yelled evilly and tickled her on the floor.

'Uncle Jay!'

She begged for help, so I told her. 'Uncle Jay is under my spell! He's going to help me tickle you!'

'I'm sorry, Bug. I'm under Aunt Drea's spell,' he said and joined me.

'Aunt Drea? Did you just... made a pun out of my name?' I whispered.

'You said it yourself, you would rather have "Drea" as a nickname, so this would be a perfect way to use it.'

I gave it a thought, and it did not sound that bad. 'Maybe, I'll use it. Maybe.'

'Stop! Stop!' She cried, and we moved away. She panted a little and decided, once she had control of the breath, 'Uncle Jay, I want ice-cream.'

He checked the time and looked out the window. 'We can get ice-cream outside. It would be a nice day to walk,' he suggested.

'Yay!'

'Are you coming with us?' he asked me.

'Of course.'

We put on some coats, and she took our hands. It seemed like she had forgotten about the robot thing, which was a good sign, I guessed. The ice-cream shop was three blocks away, so it was not that long of a walk. On our way back, she let go of my hand after she got her vanilla ice-cream.

'Are you really a robot?' she quested.

I got to her eye level and clarified, 'No, I'm not a robot.' I held her hand and continued, 'See, I'm warm and soft. Robots aren't.'

We continued walking until she quizzed, 'What's your name?'

'It's Andrea.' I considered it an improvement, for she wanted to know about me.

'Aut-rea,' she nearly butchered my name.

'An-drea,' I repeated.

'Aun-drea.'

'That's better, but it's Andrea.'

'Aun-drea,' she continued, and I heard Jason holding his laughters.

'It's Andrea,' I tried one last time.

'Aun-drea, that's what I said,' she affirmed.

I gave up with a sigh. 'Alright, it's fine.'

With the girl holding skipping in front of us, Jason wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me close. He pecked my temple and uttered, 'Andrea.'

'Hmm?'

'Nothing... I just want you to know, I love you,' he confessed out of nowhere.

I was confused at first, but I replied what I felt, holding his hand, 'I love you, too.'

We reached the building where the heat of the heater withhold in the room. It was pretty cold out, so the warmth was comforting. I looked down and found Lian made a huge mess on her clothes.

'Alright, young lady, it's time for your shower,' I dismissed.

She behaved adorably when I ordered her to wait because I forgot her clothes. This was the first time, I opened the suitcase, and it was packed. Laying on the top of the wardrobe, there was a letter.

 _"To whom this may concern,_

 _I am the Mother of Lian Harper, Jade._

 _Lian is a lovely girl, but she is also shy at first. She loves sweets, but she would be too hyped, if you give her too much. We are trying to limit it, but it has been unsuccessful. She likes broccolis and carrots but not onion, or peas. She can eat any meat, including fish, and has no severe allergy with food. She usually sleeps with the teddy bear inside the suitcase, and she will be very talkative once she is comfortable with the people she's with._

 _Right now, I am working to cut all ties with the unlawful, but that will take time and strength. Roy might have told you that she would be in your care for several days, but I concern, it may be longer. Please don't blame him, for I only told him the minimum length of time this would take. The suitcase should have enough clothings for two weeks, and we will try at our best to be back by then._

 _Thank you for everything._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Jade"_

Oh my, Jason would not like this... I should tell him sooner, or later, but I wanted to get her cleaned up first. I chose a set for her and had her done changing. I left her on the couch, and she was later occupied by Jason. Meanwhile, I checked the fridge, if we had anything for dinner; even though, I remembered, we only had some bread, milk, juices, and onion.

'Jason, there's nothing useful in the fridge. I'm going to the groceries store,' I declared.

'Okay, I'll give you a ride,' he responded, without taking a break from the invisible game he was playing with the child.

'Nah, it's fine,' I insisted because did not want to demolish the cute little picture, 'You can stay with her, but can I borrow a car?'

'Sure! There's a Honda Civic in garage number 3. The bags are also in the car if you need them,' he answered, giving me the key for the car and the keycard to unlock the garage.

'Thanks!'

Now that there was a kid here, I aimed to buy some raw and actually nutritious materials. Meats, fish, broccolis, carrots, potatoes, veggies, pastas, eggs, waffles, fruits, side ingredients, and since there was not a lot of time for preparation today, I also bought the whole freshly roasted barbecue chicken. That should cover at least four days.

I got back with all five large bags full, so I called Jason for help. He came down in no time with the girl.

Dang! He carried the girl against him with one hand like a boss. His ability with kids was starting to creep me out. But you know what, that just highlighted the reasons he was surely not made of boyfriend material, he was made of husband material. Could not let this fish slid off my hands now, could I.

'Is something wrong? You're staring at me,' he puzzled.

'Nothing,' I replied with a smile, opening the trunk.

'Wow, that's a lot of things. What are they?'

'Good stuff,' I simply respond, taking a random bag.

He placed the girl on the ground and took the other four bags. I closed the trunk and took Lain by her hand, after locking everything once we were out.

I brought out the ingredients we were using for the day and kept everything else in the cabin and fridge. I rinsed everything once and peeled the potatoes and carrots. I did not notice that he sneaked behind me until his arms were already around me.

'What are you going to make?' he buzzed, resting his chin on my shoulder.

'Mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots, and there's chicken to reheat.'

'I'll do it. You can hang around with her,' he offered.

'You cook?... I don't mean it in a bad way, but I've never seen you cook. I've always been under the impression of "Rich kid will burn the kitchen boiling water".'

'Well, I doubt Bruce and Damian will not successfully burn down the kitchen, but don't underestimate me, I died once.'

'... So you know how to cook?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Wow! You surprised me... Surprise me, more,' I challenged with a smirk and kissed him. I left the kitchen to him and entertained myself with the girl. 'Hey, Lian! What are you up to?'

'I'm braiding her hair,' she answered, not taking her eyes off the doll we won from yesterday's festival.

'Hmm, you're doing very good!' My compliment was not for comfort, the braid was very well tied.

'But, her hair is so short,' she pouted a little. She had bobby pins and elastic bands around her, but she could not make any used of it because of the reason.

'Oh, is it? What if, I let you braid my hair?'

'Really?!' Her eyes brightened.

I did not take my words back and smiled. 'Of course, but make sure it looks nice.' I was not expecting it though and turned my back to her.

She touched my hair and cheered, 'It's so soft. I like it.'

'Thank you,' I appreciated.

'Why is it this color?'

'I dye them once, but it seemed to stay well after one time.'

'What was your real hair color?' she curiously quested, intertwining her little fingers with my hair.

'It used to be light butterscotch.'

Jason whistled behind the kitchen counter, 'You're a blonde?'

'Yup, got it from my Dad,' I replied to the reflection on the black screen. 'But you'll be seeing only ash brown for a long while. My hair doesn't grow as fast, so the real color won't be showing any time soon.'

At the same time, Lian became very attentive to the pattern at the point where she stayed silent.

'Bug, you don't have to be that serious,' I eased, wondering what she was making when she went around in circle.

'I want it to be beautiful. I want you to like it.'

'I'll like it.'

'But, you won't, if it's not pretty.'

'Of course, I'll like it because you did it for me! The outcome doesn't matter, what matter is you had fun with the time, I'm spending with you.'

'I'm not that important. We only met today,' she said with such a down tone.

'Aww... Bugaboo, you are important. We only met today, but you're going to stay only for a couple of days, too. I want you to have some fun because I want you to miss me when you got home, so we can meet again!'

'We can meet again?'

'Of course! You're adorable. You can drop by anytime!' I noticed how many times, I had been saying adorable. I had been saying it all day actually, but what could I say. She was just... adorable.

'Will I get ice-cream again?'

'Yes, I don't see why not.'

'I want ice-cream,' her mind drifted at light speed.

'You just had one though,' I caught up.

'I want more ice-cream,' she beseeched.

'Alright, you are allowed a bowl after dinner. Deal?'

'Okay,' her voice faded as she slid the Bobby pin in my hair, 'Aun-drea, I'm done. Turn around!'

I faced her and traced my hand around the outline of the braid, and it circled around the center of my head. 'Wow, it's a crown? Amazing!'

'Do you like it?'

'Yes, I really really like it! Thank you!'

'You're welcome,' she shyly taken the applaud.

'Turn around. I'll braid your hair, too. So we can be a match!'

'Okay,' she enthused and sat against my front.

Her hair was beautiful, silky, thick, and unstained by any dye. 'You're hair is lovely, too.'

'Thank you. I'm going to donate them when they're down here,' she pointed at her waist.

'That is very generous of you, Lian. The person who receive it will be extremely happy.' I separated a section of her hair into four to start a Dutch fishtail braid, giving her a slight difference. 'Do you like to watch anything?' I puzzled in case she wanted something to entertain her, shifting my eyes to the chef for a second. It was surprising to see that he could cook, and he was doing it very well. Our eyes coincidentally met, and I suddenly blushed in random. I looked away and back to the girl.

'I like to watch Tana and Becca fighting at the stadium,' she answered.

Wait... What? I was expecting some Dora the Explorer, or Papa Pig, from a child this age. 'Who's Tana and Becca?' I concerned.

'They're Master's top students. They always end in draw, so they have rematches.'

What... Where did this girl use to live? There was also a Master? Was this ever normal? Or was I not up to date? 'Oh, they do?'

'Yes! Every time Tana attacked, Becca always counter it. Out of the competition, they are best friends, and they also made a new moves together like dodging and attacking with multiple attacks of one another. They are very good!' she admired.

'Wow, that's great for them,' I politely responded, while I was having bizarre thoughts.

'I want to be like them one day!'

She definitely meant some kid shows, I had no clues of. 'Okay, and we're done,' I muttered, attaching a pin. 'Let me see,' I held her shoulder. She turned around with my hands and it looked pretty good. 'You're so beautiful! Let's go to the mirror.' I leaded her to the bathroom and sat her in between the two sinks.

'Wow! I love it! How did you do this one? Teach me!'

'Of course, and I love it as well! Thank you.' She did such a great job with the crown, I might ask her to be my hair dresser on my next date.

'Can you teach me now?' She was eager to learn.

'Maybe later. Uncle Jason is probably done with dinner by now,' I arranged, considering the time.

'Yup, Princess. Dinner is ready,' he passed by the door.

'You look so confident with it,' I paced behind him, after I had Lian off the counter.

'Obviously, I am, my queen,' he remarked with his signature smirk.


	23. Chapter 23

The dinner was on the bar counter which was the same as the kitchen counter. The apartment did not have any dining table, but the counter was custom made to substitute it with the hollow leg space under it and four bar chairs that could be kept inside the space.

Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots, I saw what I requested, but even better with the chicken nicely carved and gravy made. That was why he took more time that I predicted. I swore, just by the look and smell of the delicious food, I might never have to step into the kitchen again...

My goodness... Would I ever be able to let him go?

Alright, Sadness, it was time for you to be in the corner, so Joy could let me happily taste my food. The girl sat next to me, and Jason took the seat on the opposite. He passed us the plates, cutleries, and glasses, and out of no where my stomach soundly grumbled... Well, I could not fully say out of no where when there was obliviously food in front of me.

He smiled and chuckled at how loud it was.

'What? It looks great, okay. And, it smells amazing. I totally get it now, why you were so confident, but you made me wait longer than I expected,' I translated what my stomach was trying to say in words with a little tint of red on my face from both frustration and self-consciousness.

'I didn't say anything. Dig in,' he offered.

'Thank you.' I cut the chicken into a smaller pieces for Lian and added some of everything in her plate.

'Thank you! How did you know, I love broccolis and carrots?!' she exclaimed.

Telling the truth would have been the truth, but there was no fun for it. Therefore, I answered, scooping a portion on my plate, 'It's a secret.'

'You can read minds?' she jumped into random conclusion.

'I told you, it's a secret. I can't tell you, or else, it won't be a secret. And, you better eat them while it's hot.'

'Okay,' she enthused.

I was going to eat mine, too, when I looked on his empty plate. I stopped myself and quested, 'Umm... Is there something you do before eating? Like are we supposed to pray first? Or something?'

'No, no... It's nothing,' then, he continued in mumbles, 'It has just been... so long.'

I felt like, I should consider finding a box of Kleenex. It was either him tearing up from remembering something, or me crying because he talked about it. There was a moment of silent between us, except the girl and her food, and thinking of food, my stomach grumbled again. The tint of red grew on my cheek, and his dorky smile reappeared. Alright, great news was the sad scene had been postponed, and the better news was I got to eat now. Like. Now.

It did not took me long to devour what was in my plate, but I was not as fast as the girl. She finished her portion, and as we agreed, I gave her a scoop of ice-cream. I made her brush her teeth, read a story for her, and put her to sleep with the teddy bear in my room, but she insisted to have the braid crown on which I did not stop her to do so.

I was planning on a movie before sleep, so I left the room once I was ensured that she had fallen deep asleep. I sat on the couch next to him, connecting the headphone with the TV.

"Any suggestion?" he mouthed, setting up the program.

Because the room was divided with the TV in the middle, the sound escaped easily without headphones, but with the headphones we could not even talk. At first, it was pretty easy to read his lips, for I could guess what it meant. However, I did not have the skill sets to actually read anyone's lips, and it went downward after that.

I quietly jogged back inside my room and fetched the souvenir from the Riddler's case. It was the black helmet, I did not really care of. But, it was in my possession, so I took care of it. After spending some time with it, I learnt that, it could connect to any devices as an ordinary headphone with microphone. It came in undoubtedly handy when I wanted to mute the sound to the outside world but still wanted someone to heard it. It took only the slightest time to hook it up with the TV and for Jason to connect his voice line to mine.

'Hey!' his voice almost made me jumped.

'Hi, there!' I responded, shifting myself against him.

'Nice helmet, ya got 'ere.'

'Thanks. I like yours, too.'

'So, do you have anything in mind?'

'No, not really.'

'Let's check out what we got on the cable...'

I watched partial of the dating game show, and things got confusingly dramatic. I dozed off most of the time, but he probably did not realized it with the mask on. My mind wondered endlessly, but it would return to think of him... Sometimes I was just randomly discouraged that, I would become the bride of a wedding before I was twenty-five by knowing him.

'I actually really like this thing,' I began, referring to the helmet covering all my facial expression.

'Really? I thought, it didn't give you good impression.'

'Well, that's one thing, but the other is, no one can tell...'

'I'm dozing off under this mask,' he added his phrase.

'You were, too?'

'Yeah, this thing is a serious nonsense.'

'You're my man, Jason,' I chanted, giving him a fists bump. I listened to a couple of unattractive words about engagement and marriage on the show and continued casually, 'You and me. Let's get married. Leave what's here, here, and live like normal human beings somewhere else. Get new jobs, have two or three children, and make a lovely family.'

'What if, I don't?'

'Well then, nothing much, we won't marry. We'll only have sex with condom. I won't get pregnant, and you can stay as you are, I can stay as I am. Nothing changed.'

'... How long have you been thinking of this?'

'Not long. Like five minutes ago. I'm not that serious about it, maybe I would in another two or three years, but who knows what could happen before then,' I shrugged my shoulders. 'It would be a shock if you said,' I did not get to finish my sentence.

'Sure.'

'What do you mean?' I asked for clarification, so I did not jump into conclusions.

'I said, "Sure". If the next couple of years we're still together, I'll marry you. We can make a family, but probably not leaving here, or live a normal life though.'

tyidyttufkhgchgcgd... He broke me since the first two sentences and probably distracted me from the rest of all the sentences. He agreed? What the heck? I was not prepared for that. I took off the helmet and repeated, 'You're kidding me...'

He took his off, too, and affirmed, 'No, I'm not kidding.'

I was hanging between believing his words, or not. Time would be the only way to tell the truth. He might have forgotten about it when the time came, or would the time ever come. Anything could happen in three years.

'Wow! I didn't think you would agree to that.'

'Why not?' he shrugged his shoulders.

'Well, you seem more like the independent type that doesn't like to be bonded by anything.'

'You are the independent type that doesn't like to be bonded by anything,' he commented.

'Well... I can't argue with that. I don't even have that much bonds. Friendship, I meant.'

'Are you sure, you have any?'

Man, this guy would burn you alive whenever he got the chance to. 'Of course, there's one,' I countered.

'Which idiot is it?'

'I'll show you.' I took out my phone and opened the front camera before passing it to him. He took it, and I continued, 'And apparently, this idiot said, he'll marry me.'

'Touché, touché,' he said, shaking his head, and gave it back to me. I checked on the TV, and that was the end of the episode. He turned it off and stretched on the sofa. 'But are you sure? You know, me... You know, what I've done. You know, it's not always right. You know, I am...'

'A good man,' I cut him off, before he ended the sentence with something he had done in the past. The past, I did not know detailed, but I might need to know it sooner, or later. 'A chaotic good man,' I extended, intervening my hand with his, 'your form may not appear like the others, but that doesn't mean, you're any less than them. You are the second greatest man, I've ever met in life after my Father. I love you, and I don't give a damn about what other people think... This should answer your question.'

'As bright as day.' He came closer with a hand cupping my face and echoed, 'I love you, too,' giving me a little kiss. 'Good night, Love.'

'Good night, Jason,' I responded, still holding on to him because none of us moved an inch. 'You're not going to sleep?'

'No. You?'

'Probably, not just yet,' I smiled with other concealed intention. 'The sourness this morning did not last as long as I thought it would be,' I seduced, running my other hand up his thigh.

'Just when I thought, I was going to say that first... Are you serious? She's in your room. There's a kid in your room!'

'Guess what, no one is in your room, and it's sound proof.'

He paused. 'How did I turn a good girl bad in one night?' He repeated, 'One night,'

'You didn't... I am good and still good 'cause I choose who I'm going to be bad with.'

The corner of his lips turned into a smirk, and we were up several hours late into the night.

* * *

At seven in the morning on the dot, the sun had not even rose yet, and I was woken up by a child crying in the living room. Was this what it was like for parents who had an early waking kid?

I turned my head around, comprehending what I was seeing. This time, he remained next to me with his hand resting on my waist. We were not cuddling, or hugging. We were just resting beside each other.

The room was the same size as mine with the bed against the wall to the living room side like mine. A long side of the wall filled with framed weapons on red background and dozen of weights on the shelf under the frame, instead of the plain white paint. There was one organized messy corner with electronics that only him could know where the things were, and the red helmet placed on his desk.

I was surely in his room.

Where was the cat though? I got no clues.

I got out of the bed completely naked, searching for my clothes, so I could meet the girl. I questioned my inner self as I look for them, where I did I left it, or maybe which way did he threw it to, because all I found was my underwear and his clothes.

'Oh,' I muttered, remembering that all of my first layer did not made it in here. Well, since I had found his shirt, I put it to use for now. It was as big as my pajama; therefore, it worked out fine. 'Hey, Bug, why are you crying?' I puzzled the girl in front of my pile of clothes, once I left the room.

She looked at me and wiped her tears away, 'I thought, you disappeared!'

I snickered a little at the naivety. 'I didn't, Baby Girl,' I sat on my ankle and hugged her.

'But you weren't in your clothes,' she snorted to breath.

'Ha ha ha...' I laughed it off, not explaining. 'It's fine, now, right? I'm already here.'

She nodded.

'I'll get you breakfast, and then, I'll take you to shower, okay?'

She only nodded to the plan.

'Do you like cereal?'

She nodded again.

'Alright, up we go,' I cheered, carrying her to the seat. 'Cornflakes, or chocolate pop?' I brought the boxes out to display, and she pointed at the chocolate. I served a bowl to her and made a bowl of cornflakes for myself.

I looked out the window, and the sun was raising. I checked my working schedule, and it was starting at nine today and none tomorrow. Two more hours to go before I had to leave.

I yawned out of everything I countered... Boi, I needed coffee.

'I wanna go to the beach,' she pouted.

I was confused, for nothing leaded to the beach. 'It's still cold out. The water won't be warm enough for you. But we can go to the pool, tomorrow.' Was I spoiling her too much?

'Really?'

'Sure!'

'You're the best!'

I was obviously spoiling her too much, but I would not careless. She was adorable, and that was all it mattered.

'What happened to your crown?' she puzzled.

I was speechless for a second, not knowing what to answer. 'Oh... It must fall off when I was sleeping... What happened to your crown?'

She touched her hair and giggled. 'Hehe.. I don't sleep in place.'

'So did you have a good night sleep?'

'Yesh,' she spoke with her mouth full.

'Good.'

She had another spoonful and said, 'I'm done.'

I had no chance to touch my food yet, waiting for the coffee, so I offered, 'Do you want to watch TV?'

She agreed. I turned it on and selected a kid show. The first episode played at the same time as the kettle clicked.

I pour the hot water into the cup and left it out a bit for it to chill, while I ate the cereal. Once I was done, I showered and changed her clothes, before I did the same to myself.

I was getting into the bathroom when he came out of the room with a grey T-shirt and sweatpants on. He quizzed without looking, 'Love, do you see my shirt?... Oh.' His eyes were fixed at me, before he glanced to the side with his hand covering his mouth, and back at me from head to toe.

'Something wrong? Can't find your shirt?' I provoked, acknowledging that he found it on me.

'Nothing... Just now that I see it... I can't believe, I've been wearing that shirt. Like... no wonder why, you were so tempted. I must look so tempting,' he smiled cheekily.

I took several second to process what he meant, and it came out as he was being narcissistic. '... I got no words, Jason. No words,' I rolled my eyes and walked into the tiled floor.

I went to work like usual: ticking down numbers, talking to some people, and coming back home. I loved this job. I loved numbers to be specific, much less for people, but that was also most of it.

'Home sweet home,' I mumbled, unlocking the door into the dark room. Where did they go?

'Hey,' Jason voice startled me. He raised a his hand up in the sky with a phone behind the sofa, referencing my standing point.

'Hi, Aun-drea!' another voice greeted from the same location.

'Hi! What are you doing in the dark?' I paced to the light switch.

'Don't turn on the light,' he warned.

'What are you guys doing?'

'We are competing for who will be the best hairdresser in the dark... It's my turn, and I ain't gonna lose for a foul because you turn on the light.'

I sighed to myself. 'Tell me, whenever you're done then.'

I stood with my fingertip on the switch waiting for him to say something for another two, or three, minutes. 'Alright, it's done,' he finally finished.

I connected the electric circuit with a click, and the light was on. In front of me, there was a little girl with two uneven pony tails decorated by red and blue ribbons and a grown man with his bang tied up by a bowed pink elastic band from a doll. The two took my breath away like no one had done before...

'Pfft...' I tried to keep it down.

This was idiotic, but it was also dearly and precious. So dearly and precious that, I forgot his past like it was nothing, and I decided, it was nothing compared to him.

'So what do you say? Who wins?' he interrogated. 'I think, I did a really good job.'

'No, Aun-drea, it's me! See! I tied Uncle Jay's hair perfectly in the middle! And look! The bow is right in the middle! Uncle Jay got my ponies one up and one down!' she debated to win.

I gave him the "Come on, Jason. You know, what I'm going to say. Please don't be mad (if I said the truth)" face. I did not emphasized the bracket part of course. He nodded "I know".

'I think... Lian is the winner!'

'Yes! Uncle Jay, we're going to the pool tonight!'

'Okay... This is only because you won,' he submitted.

'What?!' I need clarification. 'Why are we going to the pool when the sun is setting?'

'It doesn't matter, the pool is always set at 88 degree Fahrenheit,' he argued, picking up the large navy cylinder-shaped shoulder bag. He carried her and walked to the door. 'You're coming, too. I have your suit,' he remarked.

'What do you mean, my suit? I don't own a swimming suit.'

'Well, you do, now, cause we bought you one. Right, Bug?'

'Yup,' she popped her "P" and stared at me.

Both of them intimidated me with the long lasting stare until my eyes burn out, and I had to shut it. 'Alright... You're not taking that out?' I mentioned his hair.

'No, I look fantastic with this. No one is going to wreak this champion hairstyle, Bug made for me.'

Okay, I lost to the passion there, so I discontinued the persuasion. I put on my sneakers and followed them to the unnamed pool.

Half way there on the Honda Civic, the path became ridiculously familiar. Even though there was only tall tree on the side of the road, the road was well made without bumps, making it unique from other Gotham's roads.

Later, Jason drove into the woods and parked about five meters away from the brick wall in front of us. For Pete's sake, the bricks even looked familiar!

Out in the semi-darkness, a crossbow was in his hands, and he shot something to the wall. It shocked all the connected wall with electricity, and all the lights went down.

'All clear, let's go. Hang on tight, okay Bug?' He gave her a piggy ride, and off they went to the wall and up to the top, but not over yet. 'What are you waiting for?' he inquired.

Oh God, we were doing some illegal shit again, were we? I looked down at my usual jeans and T-shirt with jacket. Thank God, I did not wear skirt to climb a wall.

'Don't you know how to climb walls?' he continued.

'Fine. Just give me a second here. I'm pretty rusty to disobedience...,' I replied.

My, my, what have I said... I lifted up my legs and climbed up the ten foot stacked up bricks like nothing. I was trained, and this was not an obstacle. I knew this was always in me, but seriously, it was not a good trait to show off.

Like, I would certainly not go to a job interview and told them, "By the way, I can rob your house whenever I want, no matter how tall your walls are. So, hire me, now!" ... God, no!

'Rusty... you said,' he shrugged his eyes and landed inside.

I smiled to myself, before getting off the tower... Forcible entry, committed.

I looked around and realized we were in the Wayne's Manor. I questioned, 'Jason, are we allowed to be here?'

'Why not?' He opened the door and let himself inside. 'Just come in, there's nothing much to worry.'

'Anything happened, it's on you.'

'Yeah, sure, like anything is going to happen.' He turned left and right into the maze, and before any electricity was back on, we were at the edge of the pool.

He claimed, 'The light should be back in three... two... one.' The sound of the engine rumbled again, water begun bubbling, and the light was on. 'Perfectly on time. Say, "Hi!", to the camera,' he pointed at the one in the far corner, 'and that one, too.'

The pool was enormous. It reached outside, but at times like this, they had the window down, having part of the pool inside the house. The window was clear, giving us the full view of the sun setting outside. Just pure beauty, you could enjoy in here, but the billionaire Bruce Wayne still chose to go outing at night. Questionable, believed me.

'There's a bathroom here if you need to change,' he declared, discontinuing my thoughts.

'Okay, you guys go first. I'll just hang around here for a moment,' I insisted.

'Sure, let's go, Bug.'

They came out moment later. The little girl was in pink overall swimming suit with white polka dots skirt and clear plain swim ring, and Jason just seemed to have one of his black shorts on, nothing fancy. I would have to add, because the part that had nothing on was already fancy.

I might even scream for him to wear a shirt if we were in public, so I could be the only one who saw his bare skin. As a token, I would probably eyed those men and women who was looking at him, too, like "Bitch, he's mine."

Psychotic, I knew, but I did not like to share my view that much.

On the background, I heard, someone was counting down for something. I had no idea of it until I had to dodge the splashing water. Oh my god, I was almost soaked, if my feet were not moving!

I peeked into the clear water, seeing them diving. I watched them emerge from the water, but the loud splashing sound still started me. Maybe because of how huge this place was, causing the sound to be twice its volume and echoey.

'Come in, Aun-drea! It's very warm!' Lian invited.

'Okay, I'll be there in a sec,' I accepted the invitation, pacing to the changing room.

'By the way, your swimming suit is in locker number three,' he informed.

I gave him a thumbs up and disappeared into the changing room.

It was humongous! This place is freaking big! The rows of lockers, sinks, restrooms, and showers answered me how rich kids host a pool party. The answer was, because they just bloody could.

I stood in front of locker number three. I did not really know what to expect from a guy I slept with twice and already knew what all my size was. Probably along... I opened the locker... this line.

Oh! Interesting... He bought me two. They were a matched white strappy triangle bikini and a black and red one-piece long sleeves and legs.

...

Seriously... I was having a real hard time to choose. The two-piece was just not enough clothing since I still felt chilly with the heater on, and the bodysuit was too much clothing. Would it be weird, if I wore both? Like the bikini inside, and the bodysuit out?

I used to do it when I went diving. I dived with the the suit on and zipped it down when I got to the beach. However this was not a beach, in fact, it was a pool. So, I decided on the two-piece set.

I had it on and checked myself out in the mirror. My abs was no longer showing on the flat stomach. I was not in shape at all, and I was back to my usual first year of collage body, no muscles but also no real excessive fats. However, no excessive fats did not mean I was healthy like I could be. I should better get a membership at a gym before I got too used to be inactive.

I went out to the pool, and they were patiently waiting for what I had on.

'Boom! I win, again!' the little girl shouted.

I was dumbfounded at first until he said, 'Alright, I'll give you the twenty dollars later.'

'So who chose this?' I inquired.

'Me!' she immediately replied enthusiastically.

'Her,' he supported neutrally.

'Wow, I thought, it was the other way around.'

'Nope, it's all hers.'

'Interesting, why would you choose a full bodysuit for me?'

'Well...,' he tried to dodge the answer.

'Well?' I did not allow him to.

'... I don't like people staring at you,' he answered in a sigh with full eyes contact.

'We're not in public, though,' I doubted, dipping my body into the water. The depth was about five-foot-five, so I was standing with the tip of my toes.

'In case, we're in public.'

'Well, if that's the case, you're going to wear a shirt, too.' I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled.

He pulled me closer and signaled a kiss with his eyes. Just before our lips met, someone canon-balled into the pool, splashing the water all over our heads, and it was not the size of a six-year-old child.


	24. Chapter 24

'Master Dick, could you please not wreck this moment?' the British man uttered from afar.

'Aww, Alfie! I told you, what could be more romantic than kissing in the rain? There wasn't any rain here, so I had to improvise,' the cannonball replied, without reading the situation. 'Oh, hey! Who are you, Little Girl?' he cried, bumping on to Lian at the far edge of the pool.

Jason rolled his eyes, rubbing the water off his face, and took the pink elastic band off to the side. He did not hold back the expression of irritation and frustration from how done he was with his brother. No word was said.

I could not help but smile at him and the random situation.

'Good evening, Master Jason and Miss Albertsons! How are you both?'

'I'm well. Thank you, Alfred,' I answered.

'Pretty darn good,' he calmly responded.

'Great to hear and see you both fine. However, Master Jason, would it be too much to ask from you to just ring the door bell? Master Bruce did not pay a huge amount of money on security system for you to merely taking down in seconds.'

He shrugged his shoulder and countered, 'Well, he should get a better system.'

'Oh, of course, he will! I was expecting you to recreate the system I spent a week on,' the Butler coolly replied, telling Jason he created the security and was offended.

Jason slowly realized what he had done and planted his face in his palm. 'Ahhh... Sorry, Alfred, I didn't know. What did you replace it with for now?'

Holy crap! For the first time, I heard his sincere apology. Maybe it was not the first, but I rarely noticed it.

'Apology accepted. We are using the backup system, right now, but we better get the original back by tomorrow,' he continued, 'Would you like to stay for the night?'

He checked on me, and I told him, 'Sure, I don't have any work tomorrow.'

'Yes, Alfred. My room and a guest.'

'Yes, Master Jason. Dinner will be in an hour and a half, and is there anything else I could do for you?'

'No, thank you.'

I shifted my attention to the girl. She was paying around with Dick, and I paused them. 'Hi, Dick! How are you?'

'I'm good! How are you?

'I'm fine, thank you.'

'So, is Lian your cousin?' he quested, after learning her name from her.

'No. She's Roy Harper's daughter. She's going to stay with us for a while.'

'Oh! You're Lian!' he cried surprisingly, holding the child. 'I haven't seen you for a long long time!'

She stared at him confusingly like she could not remember him which was not impossible for her age. Dick probably knew it, but he still went on and on about her baby features he remembered like an old mom's friend.

Suddenly, Jason's arms wrapped around my neck from behind and his legs followed around my waist. Most of his weight was on the water, but I still felt a little tipsy.

'What are you playing?'

'I'm not playing. I'm just too lazy to stand.'

I did not say anything, and left him be. Half an hour passed in no time, but in those minutes, I was dragging myself across the pool with him on my back. I wanted to say something of it, but he was so quite.

'Does he usually come into the house this way?' I interviewed Dick about his brother, without caring who was behind me. I was solely curious. 'Like going over the wall and stuff.'

'Sometimes if he wanted to, but mostly he'll drop by without even triggering it. No one really knows he come, except Alfie,' he answered without taking his eyes off Lian.

'Oh... Another question. I've been wondering since we first met...'

'I'm engaged,' he said, smiling at me, before I completed my sentence.

'... I wasn't going to ask you that... I was going to ask you, why was he trying to make an accident on the first day we met?'

'You meant the attempted murder, he tried on me?'

I nodded, doubting how open they were with crimes. Seeing them everyday must affect somehow.

'We're tight. We don't really care to hold back on each other. He can try, but you know, I won't die. Like he might beat me, but believe me, he won't actually kill me. We're best bud, right?' He hold his fist up, waiting for Jason to bump it, but there was no reply. 'What the heck?' He angled his view to see his brother's face on my shoulder. 'He's sleeping?!'

'Oh! No wonder, he has been so quiet!' I cried to myself.

'He's sleeping?! Here? Somewhere like this?'

'Is there something wrong? Do people not sleep nowadays?' I questioned his unbelievable.

'He's mutating into Timmy the second?!'

'You mean his other brother? The guy, Jason told me, he doesn't sleep.'

'No, he doesn't. He only knows how to pass out... Did Jay pass out? I've never seen him pass out... When was the last time he slept?'

'Err... Last night.'

'That's amazing... We don't really sleep unless... He must be really comfortable around you.'

'I guess?' I shrugged my eyebrows, believing that every adult needed at least six hours of sleep a day. It should not be that weird for Jason to have at least three hours of sleep a day, right?

... Was I turning into his sleeping hours accountant? Probably, but I swore, this would only give him good effects.

I checked the time and felt like we better get going, if Alfred was expecting us for dinner. Dick had the same thing in mind and said it first.

'Let's go, Princess. We have to get ready for dinner!' he exclaimed, mainly to Lian.

'I dun wanna go, yet!' she protested.

'Are you not hungry?' he quested.

'Nope!' she stubbornly replied, but her stomach growled in contrast.

'Are you sure? There'll also be desserts,' he negotiated.

'Okay, fine... Can we come back?' she added a term.

'Not today, Bug. It's almost your bedtime,' I declared. 'Maybe tomorrow?'

She took her time considering and nodded okay.

'Great! Up we go, Little Princess!' Dick got her out of the pool.

Now, I had to wake Jason up. I tapped his arm.

'Love, we're going, now. You'll be too heavy for me out of the water... Jason?'

He groaned, 'Five more minutes.'

Five minutes later, I tried again. We left the pool to the unisex changing and showering room. I put on my old clothes and walked out first, and he followed after a moment.

He took my hand on the way to the dinning room, as if I might get lost on the way there which was not impossible. I would need at least a day to figure out the place without a full blueprint.

'So how do you think this will go?' I puzzled. After all, this was the first time I officially meet his family. It was even more awkward when this was not arranged.

'It's fine. They'll be more than surprised, seeing me alone. At least, all of them won't pull out a batarang at us when they saw you.'

'You're a threat to them?!'

'Well... I've done a lot,' he smirked and opened the door.

There was around ten well casually dressed people standing together in a circle. Dick was not there yet and so was Lian. They all shifted their attention to the door and pulled out a throwing knife in unison when they saw him.

'Aw, Man! I thought, you guys were going to let your guard down... Well, it doesn't really matter,' he sounded a bit hurt but not really.

He held on to a small remote, and everyone was paralyzed. They all begun shouting at each other, 'Where is it?!', and Jason pressed on the button.

Poof!

A clump of jellylike web exploded on all of them. He laughed, and they went in line cursing at him in different language before walking away to change.

'Now, I see. You're not a threat. You prank them, and they learnt their lessons.'

'Well, apparently, they haven't,' he snickered and paced to the sofa beside the long dinning table and opposite of the fireplace.

'Do you know where's the bathroom?' I asked.

'There's one down the hall. To the left and the third room to the right,' he directed, pointing at the door we came in.

'Thanks.'

I walked down the long hall way counting as I go, but the second room had not made it to my count when I met Bruce Wayne, his fiancé, and his butler on their way to the dinning.

What should I do next? Quick, think! I told myself as the man tipped his head to the side, questioning my existence here.

'Good evening, I'm Andrea Albertsons,' I decided to introduce myself.

The lady had her hand out corresponded with mine first and introduced herself, 'Selina Kyle. Nice to meet you.'

'Nice to meet you, too,' I shook her hand.

Her hand was the same size as mine, but hers was stronger and experienced much more.

Then, the man had his hand out, saying his name, 'Bruce Wayne. Alfred didn't say we had a guest.'

'It wasn't arranged, but nice to meet you. Jason has been talking highly of you.'

Ahh... Politeness took over me. I should not have said that when I knew he did not.

But, it seemed like Mr. Wayne knew his son well enough to give me a chance to redeem myself, 'Really?'

I was not sure what to actually say, but I had to say something before it was too awkward. 'Of course not,' I decided to tell him the truth, but my face was smiling as if I said "Of course" and let go of the rough hand. I was clearly not making a good first impression.

The was a short silence between us when Mr. Wayne was not certain with what he heard. However, Ms. Kyle was, and she giggled at what I said, broking the silence. I even received a cough from Alfred behind them.

Mr. Wayne soon chuckled and commented, 'You're funny.'

Thank God, they laughed it off and did not take it seriously! I smiled as they walked pass me after the short conversation. I went straight to the bathroom and came back, seeing all of the people that were pranked again at the foyer.

Today must be one of the days I met with a lot of people, and I had to repeat my name several time. Jason had his hand behind me, and the first one I introduced to was the woman on the wheel chair.

'This is my girlfriend,' he declared, making my blood rush to my face because of the new title.

I acted like I did not notice it and told her my name, 'Andrea Albertsons.'

'Barbara Gordon,' she answered, shaking my hand.

The first thing I noticed was her voice. It was the same as Oracle, and they might as well be the same person. She probably noticed my voice, too.

'Stephanie Brown,' said a blonde.

'Nice to meet you,' I replied with a smile.

Height, hair, and eyes color, she was Batgirl. Could it be anymore more obvious? Maybe it might not be as obvious, if I did not already know one of them.

I moved on to the lovely Asian girl. I remembered her name was Cass from Jason at the party, but she only smiled and shook my hand.

She signed me, "Nice to meet you, Andrea. I'm Cass."

I believed, she could hear because she knew my name, but I still signed back, "Nice to meet you, too."

Her eyes grew big from the surprise, and she happily clapped. I suddenly felt attached to her, and most of all, I wanted to protect her. I had no idea where was this coming from when I knew, she could protect herself more than well enough, if she was in the house. Whatever, I really liked her.

'You know sign language?' Jason quested, pulling me out of the blank thoughts.

'Of course, did I not tell you?'

'You didn't.'

'Well, it's not important.'

I must have failed to mention that John was deaf. His vocal cord was damaged in a mission, so I learned sign language to surprise him on his birthday. I swore, he cried when I signed "Happy Birthday," but he would not admit it during the shooting lessons.

I stood in front of another man with similar feature trait to Jason and Dick. He appeared around my age, but he was about an inch shorter than me. Compared to all of them, he looked the least intimidating, but I would not conclude that he was not poisonous.

He put his hand up front and introduced himself, 'Jason brought a girl home?'

I bit my bottom lips, trying not to grin, when he chose the wrong phrase to say out loud. I tried not to make it more awkward because he still did not realize what he said by shaking his hand and repeated my name, 'Andrea Albertsons.'

'Uh... Timothy Drake. Nice to meet you.'

I gave him a smile and replied the same.

'Duke Thomas,' introduced the last one and the most differ between the four adopted boys. I shook his hand and showed my gratitude of meeting him.

So many... I could go on a debate all day, if someone said, Batman worked alone.

'Hi!' I greeted Damian, waving my hand.

He was about to scoff it off when Dick came in on time to puppet his hand. Damian did not resist the action, but he was also not pleased by it.

'Say, "Hi," Damian,' Dick implied.

'Hi,' he eventually said.

'Sorry, he's not in such a good mood today,' Dick excused his brother.

I guessed so. The last time we met, he was a lot more friendly with me, and I heard a vague news that one of the robber from the incident last two days got away. Anyway since Dick was already here, I searched around to see where was Lian.

I could not find her, so I quested, 'Umm... Dick, do you know, where's Lian?'

'She's right behind you,' he answered.

I turned around, but I did not see her until I looked down. 'Oh, there, you are, Bugaboo!' I picked her up and carried her at eyes level. The people I greeted earlier began noticing her with surprise. I was surprised, too, because she was not in her regular clothes, but she was in a red fancy frock dress. 'Wow, where did you get the dress?'

'Uncle Dick gave it to me because I like it.'

'Did you say "Thank you"?'

'Thank you, Uncle Dick.'

'You're welcome! Can Uncle get a hug?'

'No,' she pouted and wrapped her little arms around my neck.

'Aww... That's not nice,' I told her.

Dick snickered, and respond, 'It's fine, but you got to explain who she is, now.' He pointed his thumb at the audience at witnessed the little act in the dinning room.

I looked at the astonished them and to Jason smirking. I must have not caught up with something.

'Uncle?' Duke uttered.

Was it something weird that Lian was calling Dick, Uncle Dick? Like she called Jason, Uncle Jay, so would not it be reasonable? Did I do something wrong?

Meanwhile I was doubting myself, Mr. Wayne proposed, 'Jason, can we talk?'

Mr. Wayne tried to talk in private, but Jason resisted, 'What is it?'

'How old is the girl?'

'Six, I guess,' he shrugged his shoulder.

'Why have I never heard of her?' Mr. Wayne interrogated. If possible, his eyebrows pretty much tied a knot in the middle of his forehead from concern.

'I bet, you didn't care enough,' he rubbed it in.

'No, seriously,' he said with his voice as serious.

I had a feeling in my guts that this would not go so well, but without the knowledge of the occurring event, I could not help solve the problem. I raised an eyebrow at Dick, questioning what was happening. He responded non-verbally with his body language, showing that did not fully understand it, too.

'You guys saw her once, or twice. You just can't remember it. It's not like you guys wanted to hear my story or where I've been anyway,' Jason continued without raising his voice, and the last sentence muted everyone in front of me.

I was not sure if they were searching for words to soothe him, or if it was speechlessly true. However, I hope it was the first option.

In the split silent seconds, I began putting together on what all this meant by recapping what happened right from the beginning when I came in the door from the bathroom. First, Jason introduced me to them. Second, I introduced myself to all of them until I waved to the moody Damian. Dick came in to get the boy in order with Lian whom I did not see until I asked Dick. I picked her up and talked about the dress, which later was when I found them dumbfounded by some reason. I still could not understand why were they so concern about the girl.

Since the story did not seem any confusing from my perspective, I tried to look from outside in, supposing I was one of the people in line.

If I was Duke Thomas, and I met this woman who was one way, or another, my brother's girlfriend. Then, suddenly, a girl appeared with an age that could possibly be my bother's girlfriend daughter, and the girl called my other brother "Uncle" as of the brother of the father's child. If Mr. Thomas and the others pieced thing together like this, the woman, who was me, would be the mother of the child, and logically, the woman's boyfriend, who was Jason, would be the father of the child... I believed, I got the hang of where was this coming from.

I demolished the silence, hoping this sentence helped, 'This is Lian, and she's Mr. Harper's daughter. She's here with us for the time being.'

The sighed with relief in chorus until Jason held, 'Be grateful how ever you want with what she kindly tell you, but that doesn't change from anything I said.'

'Who said so,' Mr. Drake uttered confidentially.

Jason gave him a look to go on and finish the sentence.

'We know, you went to the festival, you said you weren't going,' he backed his statement with my Instagram photo.

My lips slowly form into a smirk, acknowledging that something sweet was going to happen.

Dick had his hand on Damian's shoulder and added, 'We saw you there, too, and took this picture.'

It was an image of them selfie from afar with us in the background with the first cotton candy. Dick was smiling brightly, while Damian stared into the camera as if he was in "The Office". We were in the middle of the crowd, but the picture was pretty clear.

My teeth were showing in the smile when I glanced at Jason with his fingers pressing onto his forehead.

Mr. Thomas looked at the picture and noticed our clothes. He analyzed it and claimed, 'You guys were the couple, me and Cass saw on the way home with tons of prizes!'

Cass took the phone to see it for herself and nodded agree.

He could no longer say that they had no clue of his well being anymore. He sighed and sounded, 'Is there anymore?'

I was sure, there was one more person.

'Mr. Wayne/ Master Bruce, would you like to say something?' Alfred and I quested at the same time.

Jason heard it and shook his head, glaring at me. I joyfully grinned back.

'No.'

"Damn, these two tsun! Come hug him already! You nodded at me through the goddamn compact with a fucking sad concern look, and now, you just want to keep it to yourself! Do I have to craft a truth potion for you two to get back together?!" I screamed internally with a blank smile on my face.

'Let's eat dinner before it gets cold,' Mr. Wayne remarked and sat at the head of the table.

We had dinner quietly and parted to bed.

'May I show you your room, Miss Albertsons?' Alfred directed.

'Yes, please. Thank you.'

I held on to Lain's hand as we walked down the dim hall way. He stopped in front of a double door and opened a side.

The room was spacey with the queen size bed against a wall and TV with its cabinet on the opposite wall. The bed was made nicely with navy comforter and fluffy pillows. Next to the bed, there was a door that entered to the private restroom. In the private guest's restroom, there were two comfy pajamas and toiletries offered by Wayne Hotel.

How did I know?

The logo was printed on it...

'If you are in need of anything,' he phrased. I was expecting, "Fear not to call for my assistance." However, he continued, 'Master Jason's room is across the hall.'

I failed to suppress the laughter and let out a small wheeze. 'Thank you, Alfred.'

After changing into the black-grey tartan pajamas that was given, Lian fell asleep almost instantly from the tiredness. I checked my phone for some emails before I slept and found that it was running low on battery. I walked three steps across the hall and knocked the door for assistance because I did not have the charger with me.

'Hey! Miss me already, my love?' Jason greeted. He was shirtless, but not that I minded.

'Nope, Alfred said, if I need anything, I can get it from you. I need a charger to charge my phone's battery.'

He stared at me weirdly and puzzled, 'What's your phone's tery?'

'... Oh, my God, Jason!' I cried and playfully punched his shoulder, as he laughed hysterically.

'Come in, I'll see if I have one.'

I went in and sat on the edge of his bed, while he search for it in a drawer.

'Is it this one?' he threw me an Android charger.

'Nope, I need an IPhone charger.'

Seconds later, he threw another one to me, 'This one?'

'Nope, it's the newer one,' I replied, after seeing the large thin plug.

'How many chargers does Steve Job need?' he pouted. 'This is the last one, I've got.'

'Thanks! That's the one,' I received it and headed toward the exit.

He pulled me back by my wrist, before opening the door, and danced me into his arm. 'You're not expecting to walk out a lion's cave that easily, right?'

'No, but I didn't expect it to be hard,' I turned around and continued walking slowly.

'You're walking slowly. I know, you're not intending to leave.'

'Well, I'm leaving, if you're expecting me to throw myself at you first all the time.'

He hugged me from behind and questioned in my ear seductively it made me cringe, 'I want some rough sex tonight. Are you in?'

I snapped out of the cringe and narrowed it down, 'Fast thrust, light spanking and hair-pulling, okay, but no choking, punching, or anything on that line that will cause real pain.'

'What type of animal did you take me for?' he took it pretty offensively.

'Nothing. I said it, just in case because rough sex is very broad,' I excused.

'Fair enough.'

'So what do you say?'

'I agree, and you?'

'Yes,' I gave him my consent.

* * *

Little did I know, I had to dash into the pharmacy in front of me for contraception at eight due to expired condom...


	25. Chapter 25

It was about eight-fifteen, and I was in front of a pharmacist counter.

'Contraception, please,' I told her, fooling myself like I was getting Tylenol, so I was not a complete embarrassment to myself.

She probably knew it by now that I had unprotected sex last night. I sighed at myself for being so self-conscious; even though, I also knew that she would forget it sooner or later because we did not know each other.

'Thank you,' I said, receiving the product.

Alright, allow me to rewind a little. Truthfully, the sentence last chapter and the part above was a great sum up for the situation, but things happened. And by things, looking back I meant, hilarious things happened that I might not dare to forgot in my life.

 ***Sexual Content below***

My face was muffling in the pillow with almost no strength left; even though, the hour had not ended. He was as rough as he said he would be and as gentle as he promised. He got me off about three times, but despite all the dizziness, I was certain, that the condom withstanded the whole thing until he came deep inside me from behind.

He stopped the thrusts and kissed me. I felt the warmth, the pulsing, and throbbing in me for the first two pumps like the last two nights, but then, I heard and noticed a pop. It occurred just right before the last pump that unintentionally coated my cervix with all the other that broke lose.

At first, I was under the impression of morally wrong for feeling oddly sastisfied physically and emotionally by the accident, but that did not clog my mind enough to not be terrified. The experience was as terrifying as selecting all five-thousand word essay and accidentally delete it, but it also recovered as easy as pressing Ctrl-Z.

He pulled his member out and stared at me like he could not think of anything but still trying to figure out which of the million words he should be saying.

He was still dumbfounded, while I felt the warm flow trailing slowly out of me. I was somehow sure that Alfred would not like a mess on the beddings, so I stared right back and told him, 'I think, it's leaking out... Ah!' I cried to the sudden action when he carried me straight into the bathroom.

I believed, I was right when he uttered, 'Shit, did it get on the sheet?!'

'I don't know,' I answered questionably and leaned against the sink with my hands still around his neck and his resting on the counter.

'God, Alf's gonna kill me!' he mumbled to my shoulder.

I could not help but giggled when he actually was scared more of Alfred than a street crime lord.

'What's so funny?'

'Nothing, but what are we going to do? You got a pretty good load inside of me,' I claimed, sensing the warm leakage.

'I know, but I don't think there's any pharmacy open, right now,' he said with a palm on mine behind his neck.

It was already awkward no matter how comfortable we were with each other, and I asked, making things even more awkward, 'Do you know where did it brake?'

'Err... About that...,' my eyes widen as he continued, 'I think, part of it's still inside.'

'Oh... my God... This is fucking ridiculous!' It was indeed ridiculous, but I could not stop cracking up at the mischief.

'I'm confused. What's so funny? Are you upset? Or are you?'

'Upset? Well, it's not entirely your fault, so I'm not upset. Maybe a little, but not really. Why waste my time being upset when your sperm is already in me? The worst that could happen to me after this is, die giving birth to your child which I know you won't let that happen... And, I laughed because a lot of weird things happened one after another coincidentally. Also repeating the pop and your priceless face in my head helped, too... So it's inside of me?'

He nodded and smiled at me cherishly in the awkwardness, '... You're so weird.'

I returned him listless stare and replied, 'Let's not talk about weird when you're having fun making death jokes about yourself.'

He chuckled and chanted, 'I love you.' He kissed me and traveled his hand down my bare stomach.

I held back his hand before it went too low and quested, 'What are you doing?'

'Helping you get the thing out.'

'One finger only, okay? Two turns me on, and I don't want it unless we're doing it bareback in the shower.'

'You betcha,' he smirked and digged two digits in me.

 ***Sexual Content above***

Now, I was back in the car with Plan B One-step. I sat on the passenger seat staring at the box, remembering the audible "Pop" and his "It was an accident" face, and began laughing uncontrollably.

'C'mon, get over it!' Jason exclaimed as he drove out the parking lots.

'You don't understand! If I could, I would record it, so you can see what I'm laughing about!'

He sighed in defeat and gave me a bottle of water.

'Thanks. Can we drop by at 7-11 before going back to pick her up?'

'Sure.'

I took the pill, and puzzled, 'Why do you have expired condoms there?'

'Well, it wasn't expired when I bought it there three, or four, years ago.'

'So you knew, it expired,' I narrowed my eyes and teased, 'Is this your plan to get me pregnant?'

'God, no. I have new ones in the other drawer, but I forgot about it last night.'

'Next time don't be so forgetful 'cause this thing doesn't work if I was ovulating,' I read off the package. I would be so fucked, if this happened between the fifteenth and the twentieth. 'Wait, what's the date today?'

'The twentieth.'

'Isn't today the twenty-second?'

'No, it's the twentieth.'

'I don't believe you,' I said, checking my phone. "Fuuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkk!" I internally screamed at my damned luck.

'It's the twentieth, right?'

'Yeah, you're right.'

'Is there something wrong?' he concerned.

I crossed my fingers and told him, 'Nothing, it's not the day.'

I rubbed my nose instinctively from the lie. Luckily, his eyes were on the road, so he did not see my body language.

I did not need him to be worried of things that might not even occur. We found the store and drove around the block, but there was no available parking. I decided to drop-off in front of the store and buy the things first while he search for a lot if he could find one.

'Can you get me a sandwich?'

'Of course,' I answered and got out of the car.

I paced to the sandwich aisle, next to the entrance and cashier. I got his chili sandwich and my ordinary ham and cheese. I was about to get to the slushees, but I bumped onto a tall skinny man with layers of dark coat on.

He fell down, and I helped him up. I saw a small medicine liquid container, he might have dropped. I picked it up and found a crack on the bottle. The liquid substance in the bottle suddenly evaporated into red smoke. I was a little surprised, then I noticed the rose-like smell from the gas. I did not realized it could do any harm until I collapsed.

* * *

I woke up in my room at the apartment. It was still bright outside, so I was probably out for a couple hours. I got up and ambled my way to the door knob. I turned the the knob with the same strength I used to, but it broke off from the door into my hand.

'What the heck?' I muttered.

I tried knocking the door and shouted out in case someone could open the door from the other side. Once my hand hit the wood, the wood started shattering apart.

'Holy shit!' I exclaimed, staring at my master piece. 'I must be dreaming.'

I slowly paced back to the bed and belly-flopped on it tiredly, but then, the frame broke in half with a loud crashing sound from the mattress falling down.

Because of the sound, Jason immediately entered the room.

'What the fuck?' he emphasized every word with perfect pronunciation, looking around the room.

'What's up?' I innocently waved, 'I've got no excuse.'

He stayed up movingly for a moment, before giving me his concerns, 'You were out for the whole day, yesterday. How are you, now?'

'I think, I'm okay... Can you give me a hand?'

'Mm-hmm.' He reached over to help me stand. I grabbed his hand firmly, and he retrieved it back. 'Ow! That's hurt,' he exaggerated.

'What happened?'

'You were crushing my bone!'

'Come on! What do you mean crushing your bone with my hand's three size smaller than yours?!'

His eyes were staring at me with dozens of question, as he massaged his hand. He shook it away and attempted to help me again. 'Alright, try not to grip, and I pull you up.'

I gave him my hand, and he got me up as easily as it used to be. He looked worried and a little confused at me and asked, picking up a pen, 'Can you hold this pen?'

'Why wouldn't I?' I quested as the grabbed the pen from the middle, and it parted into two pieces right in front of our eyes.

'You gotta be kidding me...,' he muttered, not taking his eyes off the pen, 'I'm going to take you to the cave, but right now, you should not put any force on anything.'

'What about the floor?' I questioned, believing it was not that serious, but I did not say it in an unserious tone.

'The floor should be able to handle it, but let's go as lightly as you can. We're going to take the stairs not the elevator.'

'So do you know what's happening?'

'I'm not sure, but you got hella stronger. Possibly, don't apply any force on anything. I don't have time to go after every cracks,' he dragged me out of the room and put on his shoes, taking my problem crucially.

'So how am I suppose to put on my shoes, if I can't put force on anything?' Argh, I was just trying to be funny, but it certainly did not come out as that and, in my opinion, extremely bad!

'Sit down, and I'll put it on for you.'

I was stunned with a short "What the heck?" moment, for he minded it not and even being so kind. No sassy comeback? No roast me to ash?

'C'mon, sit down,' he softened his voice.

'Did you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Jason?' I could no longer kept the question in my head.

'No. We gotta get you check up fast before it's too late.'

I gradually lowered my body to the ground and seated as softly as I could. I watched as he put on the sneakers for me and followed him out the fire staircase. 'What do you mean "too late"?' I puzzled.

'I don't know. We can be too late for anything, but we got to make sure whatever it is that give you that strenght, is not killing you.' He got the sport car ready and told me, 'I'll carry you into the car, so the force that's putting on the car is from me not you. One condition, do not touch anything because we don't know the amount of strength you got there in your little palm and I don't want to repair anything. If you have to shift your body, do it slowly.'

'Roger that, Boss!'

He scoffed at my absentminded action that was trying not to make him too stressed. However, the action was not helping. He swiftly put me into the seat, and I kept that position.

On our way there, the cloud dissolved, and the sun was showed. The roof of the car was not closed, and my skin was exposed to the light. I felt my body heating up mildly until I looked at my hand smoking.

'Jason, I think, something is wrong with me,' I stated, accepting that it was a serious matter that I was taking lightly.

'I noticed that. Who wouldn't when you broke the bed frame into two?'

'No, there's something more... I'm burning.'

He glanced at me and found my skin turning red. 'Crap! Hold on in a sec, we're going into the shade.' He drifted under the same bridge and entered the secret passage. 'How are you feeling?'

I watched the burnt mark on my skin rapidly healed and disappeared. I was a bit freaked out, but it was better than burning. 'I think, I'm fine for now.'

He drove into the cave and carried me to the bed of a testing room. 'Computer, call Oracle,' he commanded.

'Voice identified. Calling Oracle,' a female voice answered.

'I'm going to take a blood sample.' I nodded as he poked the needle in my blood vessel. 'So can you remember something that might make you like this?' he quested me.

'I remembered, I was going to buy sandwiches at the store, but I bumped on to someone. He dropped some type of glass bottle, so I was going to pick it up for him. The thing inside the bottle evaporated, and I accidentally breathed some in. I passed out. Then... How did I end up on my bed?'

'I was waiting for your call, but I didn't hear any. I found a place to park and looked for you. The cashier said you passed out, and they were going to call the ambulance. I told them not to and brought you home.'

'Oh, then, what about Lian? Weren't we suppose to pick her up?'

'She's up in the Manor,' he answered, putting the sample to test.

'I see,' I responded, gently placeing my foot on the floor, and began walking around.

Hidden in the corner, I found a thick metal rod. I held it in my hand lightly, expecting it to fall off my grip because it was too heavy, but it did not. It was not even heavy. I held it in my arms effortlessly and looked over my shoulder at Jason. He was talking on the phone and turned around, watching me with the metal.

He stormed over the hall to me, hung up the call, and questioned, 'Is it not heavy?'

'No,' I answered, shaking my head.

He took it from my hand, saying, 'Catch it?' and dropped it down.

Without second thought, I caught it before it hit the ground. I turned it over, and there was a dent on the metal with the shape of my hand. He was astonished, and so was I.

'I swear, this is so cool,' I stated under my breath, for it was the truth, no matter how weird it was.

Suddenly, the elevator opened across the cave, and a voice stated, 'Tell me what happen, again?' Ms. Gordon wheeled to the computer and read the result, as Jason told her what he suspected was the cause. She asked me, 'What are your abilities, right now?'

'You mean the things that I can do now that's not what I usually do, right?' I realized how dumb it sounded, but they already heard it. 'Sorry, I guess, I got dumber from all these thing...,' I sighed and continued, 'Apparently, there's super-strength, rapid healing, enhanced reflexes, and allergic to sunlight.'

'She's also fast,' Jason added.

'How fast?' her question came right after. 'Can you get batarang on that far shelf for me as fast as you can?' she requested and Jason shook his head.

I looked at the direction she pointed, and my eyes automatically pinned on to the small thing like a magnifier. 'Add enhanced eyesight on the list,' I claimed.

I dashed to the throwing knife as fast as I could and came back at the same spot. I also believed, I got a better handle with the strength when I did not completely crack the thing in half, but there was still small trail. 'So how long did I take?'

'A second, 25 meters back and forth,' she reported.

'That's 50 meters per second?!' I cried unbelievably, but not like they cared about my bubble thoughts.

'Have you seen any side effects, yet?' she puzzled Jason.

'No, not yet. What should I be looking at?'

'So far, I don't see that it's damaging her in anyway internally from the test, except the healing factor that traded off being in the sun. There's probably more abilities she'll discover later. If she's lucky and the drug is close to perfect, she might become psychic. And... check if she drinks blood.'

'Drink blood?' I repeated her with my eyes widen like a broken record.

'Yeah. You probably have enhanced hearing, too. Try listen to his heart beat.'

'I get the thing about blood, but what do you mean listen to my heart beat?' Jason quested.

'Just you wait,' she said and commanded me, 'Close your eyes and listen.'

I closed my eyes and focused on what I could hear in the room.

I heard her whispered to him, 'If she drools... run.'

I guessed, it was an inside joke, so I did not put any attention to it. I eliminated mine and was left with two hearts beating, one louder than the other, and they both had their own rhythm and pace. Misleadingly, once I listened to the rhythm carefully, the louder one was actually from Ms. Gordon, rather than Jason.

Did he master concealing his pulse? But I thought, I heard the beat loud and clear in his sleep.

I shove the thoughts away and said, 'Hmm... Ms. Gordon, I don't really understand what you want from this, but I assure, you both don't have heart disease.'

'Well then, her urge hasn't hit, yet. But if it does, his blood will probably taste the best,' she joked, pointing at her in-a-way brother.

'Woah! I've never tried your blood before, neither have you tried mine, but you don't have to be that modest. I believe, yours tastes better,' he smiled and nodded.

'So... what am I?' I quizzed, acknowledging that they both already knew.

They glanced at each other and decided on who would be the one revealing.

Ms. Gordon explained, 'In an easy way to put it, you're a vampire. At least, that's what the drug made your gene into. Not real real vampire of course, but you will need more protein in your system because of all the bells and whistles. Blood has a lot of protein in them, so I mentioned it as a fun alternate. I don't advice drinking blood though, it's not hygienic.'

'I see, what you're up to, now... Is there a way to go back to normal?'

'We'll have to find an antidote for that. It will take a while, but there's a way.'

'Do you know who might be the one that created this?'

'I bet, a mad biochemist in Wayne Enterprise,' Jason said.

'It doesn't have to be from Wayne Enterprise.' Ms. Gordon countered.

'It's just a possibility. The Viper last two decades, the Venom, and all the others was made by Wellzyn from Wayne Enterprise. Why can't this Vampire drug be made at the same place?'

'First of all, this thing doesn't kill its user like Viper, or the others. Second, she hasn't gone insane. Third, I'm sure, Wayne Enterprise is clean. Langstorm is a better starting point.'

'That guy is into bats. This thing turns people into Vampire. I don't think, it's him.'

'Vampire bat is a thing, too, you know.'

As they were debating which way to go first and entering informations into the data for results, I checked the date and time on the table.

'Shoot! I got work in half an hour!' I exclaimed, rushing my way to the exit.

'I'll take you home,' Jason offered.

'It's fine, thanks. Find the person that made me like this, but for now, I think, I'll get there faster running. See you, later.'

I took the advantage of the rare occasion and ran back home at a pretty good time, thanks to Gotham for being mostly cloudy. Even though, Gotham was being moody by being bright a while ago.

I completely forgot about my keycard, so I walked into an alley, leaped up, and took the emergency staircase to my floor. Then, I entered into my house through the balcony. I felt like I should be depressed somewhere for turning into a monster, but I was not. I had no time for that.

I dressed up in my usual black blouse, white shirt, black short skirt, and thigh-high stocking and stared at the mirror. Luckily, as she said, I was not a vampire. I sighed in relief, seeing that I still had my soul, and there was a reflection of me. I quickly added make-up, controlling my power better than ever, so my fifty dollars brush would not split to two in my hand.

I got ten minutes left, which most of the time taken getting my shoes nicely. I fast walked down the same old path and arrived at work two minutes early. It could not even be counted as early.

I checked in at the front desk and paced into my room with the city view. I sat gently on my chair and began working. I picked up the calendar, seeing what I was arranged to do.

Today, I had a meeting with Mr. Potter in half an hour at nine-thirty and Mrs. Yale at one. Nothing went wrong until two-thirty. I shook hand as a good-bye with Mrs. Yale, and the center of my palm burnt in the shape of a rectangle. It never happened before in our other meetings, so I swiftly observed her hand and saw a one-fourth of an inch wide, tin-colored ring in her middle finger.

'Mrs. Yale, that's a nice ring,' I complemented, hiding my hand as it healed.

'Thank you. My son bought it for me with his first real income. Sweet, isn't he?'

'Indeed. Pardon my manners, but if it's not too rude, may I ask what's it made of? I really like it.'

'Its a pure silver ring. You should be able to find in any accessories store.'

'Wow! That's wonderful! Thank you. I'll see you next two months,' I waved at her as she left the room.

I picked out my phone and immediately called Jason to report another problem.

'Hey, Love, how's it going?' he answered the phone.

Weirdly enough, I could hear his voice repeated twice, once quietly but not through the phone. I gazed out to the view and replied, 'Work is pretty good. How are you?'

'Just chilling outside.'

It heard him twice like that again, and I started looking for him wonderingly. My eyes accidentally passed a tall tree with lots of leaves, but the red caught my attention. 'Love, I can see you from here.'

'What do you mean?'

'I meant what I said, I can see you from here.'

'I'm almost a mile away from you. How can you see me?'

'Whatever,' I mumbled, writing a note and putting it into a small plastic capsule. 'I think, I'm also allergic to sliver, but I don't understand why. I totally understand that because of the fast healing thing, I cannot go into the sun. But, now, silver, too?'

'I'll check that out,' he replied, as I opened the window and threw the capsule out. 'Ow! What the... Alright, I know, you can see me.'

'Read it,' I ordered, smiling at the window. Unexpectedly, he hung up on me. 'What the hell?'

I was a little irritated and upset when he did that. I sat down furiously, and the rollable chair ran away from me, leaving me on the floor.

Damn it all!

I got myself up and brought my cup with me, as I was leaving to calm myself down with coffee. The door opened on its own, following with a passionate kiss from my beloved lips.

With all the surprise, I dropped my cup but all I thought was, "Fuck the coffee, I don't need it anymore. He's already here."

'I love you more,' he cooed. 'I'll see you at dinner... What do you want for dinner?'

'Can you make something up from the stuff I bought in the fridge?'

'Yup, not a problem.'

'And use the things that will go bad soon first.'

'I know.'

'Thank you. See you later,' I bid.

He pecked my lips and responded, 'Bye. Love you.'

I waved as he walked away, 'Love you, too.'

Not until he left, I noticed my co-workers and some with their clients, looking out the door and witnessing the scene.

Oops, my door was not closed!

I acted like nothing happened and picked up my cup on the floor, before refilling it at the kitchen. However, I could not hold back the little smile on my face to how fast he got here after solving the little puzzle.

What was on the note?

It said:

 _"E ILOO UVY."_

I returned to my room and to my work mode, retaining the gratitude inside. I worked for another two hours and a half, holding myself to the human speed with all the willpower I had. All I really wanted was to run home and see him again, but I doubt, the stiletto shoe would let me.

I opened the door, and dinner was set and ready. I glided my eyes around the room to find him, but he was not there.

'Jason?' I called, but there was no reply.

His room was open, but there was also no sign of him. I checked around the house and called him, but there was no answer.

The food was still warm and displayed, so I supposed, he went to do something quick. I waited for a while which later turned into hours. Long before then, I lost my appetite and put the supper in the fridge.

I figured, he would be back by the next morning, so I prepared myself to sleep. I laid on my bed and closed my eyes, but I could not sleep. I was worried because he never did this. At least, if he was going to be out the whole night, he would post a note on the fridge, or give me a notice of some kind.

I got out off my bed and checked under and around the fridge again the third time and the table, but nothing showed up. I took a deep breath and went to sleep.

With my eyes closed on the bed, I tried to sleep, but I used my enhanced hearing instead. I listened to everything through out the night, expecting at least the creak from the balcony, but there was none. Before I realized, the sun was up again, and I had not received a single hour of sleep.

Around eight, an hour before last day of work before the weekend, I had my breakfast in front of the balcony, waiting for any sort of sign, but it gave me the same result, none. I stopped waiting and went to work. However, that did not stop me from wondering where did he go.

* * *

A/N:

Can you solve the puzzle?


	26. Chapter 26

A/N:

Readers please put on seatbelt and hold on to the stationary handles, things are going to get crazier from this point. Please read the note below for further informations after the chapter. Repeat. After the chapter.

* * *

I went to work and came back home, wishing he would be there. He was not.

I could no longer help myself but to stand in front of his room. I placed my hand on the door knob, wanting to open it but could not bring myself to.

What I was afraid of was even confusing to me.

Was I being polite and trying not to invade his privacy? But I had been in there once. Nah, that did not give me any right to do it.

I sighed and mumbled, 'I want to know, where he is.'

I felt like I was pulled by something. I noticed the change of lighting in the room, and then, I saw him.

'Oh, my God! How long have you been here?' I cried out of concern.

He did not catch my exsistance, and his hand held the door knob, passing through me, like I was invisible. He opened the door, and once he let go of the knob, the image disappeared. Suddenly, I was back in the dark room.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... What the fuck was that? Was I beginning to hallucinate?

Alright, I got to get my mind right. I was probably worrying too much and low on energy. I opened the fridge in the next mere second and devoured whatever was in there. Ms. Gordon advised to have more protein, but it seemed like I got only carbs from breads here.

I looked for a glass in the cabinet, but there was no more. I hummed to myself, 'Where are all the glasses?', knowingly that they were in the dishwasher. However, I did not had the chance to release my grip on the holder when I was tugged in by something again.

This time I saw myself taking two of the four glasses out to give to the guests, Mr. Harper and Lian. Then, it blacked out when my other self let go of the handle. Continuously, another part came in, I found Jason taking a glass and closed the cabinet. The scene later progressed to when I took the last glass out for Lian, and I snapped back to reality.

It was like, I could see back in time... but how?

I kept wondering, opening the dishwasher for a glass. I picked one out, and it was clean. I did not remember turning on the machine, so I quested again, closing the door of the washer, 'Who did the dishes?'

As expected, I began seeing Jason, adding dish soap into the container and turning it on. So obvious, but I learnt that, the vision occurred every time after I questioned, or demand, for an answer.

I stood in the middle of the kitchen and tested if I was right by saying out loud, 'Where is the pepper?'

I wanted pepper, but nothing happened in respond to my surprise. With the result, I concluded that, there must be a combination to give me the vision.

I recalled what I was doing to see it. I remembered, I was holding the door knob when I saw Jason the first time, and I was holding on to the handle of the cabinet when I saw the glasses being taken away one by one... That was it! I was holding something all the time!

I put my hands on the countertop and tested it out. 'Where is the pepper?'

The pictures played as the bottle of pepper stood on the counter. Later, it was taken off the counter, and I returned to my current time.

Wow... I should be freaking out, but I felt so good about myself, finding out my new power. This must be the psychic ability, Ms. Gordon mentioned.

Just to sum up what I just gathered from the new specialty, I mentally noted. One, if I wanted to see what happen I have to touch something and ask the question. Two, the vision only last until the object, I wanted to learn of, was no longer in contact of the object, I was touching. Therefore, the reason I could see the glass and the person, even though the glass was already off the cabinet, was because the person's hand was still touching the the handle. Three, the vision, I would be seeing, would always be the most recent contact from the object.

I was sure about the third note, so I made an experiment. I took the pepper out of the shelf, put it on the countertop, and place it back to its usual spot. I asked for the pepper again, and it supported my thesis. The only image I saw was, the action I did recently.

If this was all true, then, if I asked the floor where Jason was, it would tell me where he went.

I touched the floor in general, but it only showed me half a second of him walking by. Just a sec... It only worked per block of wood on the floor?

Now, I wished, I had the whole place carpeted... Second thoughts, not really.

I decided to check on the two blocks in front of the door, just to be certain that he never came back in. I also checked the one in front the balcony in case he came back this way. However, it only showed that, he went out though his room.

Well then, I guessed, he was still out there somewhere, doing his business.

I ended my search there and went to sleep, and this time I really did get some sleep. I rubbed my ears a bit, after hearing them ringing at a very fast soft rhythm. I wondered, who was playing drum at such a time, but I was too tired to care that much.

Wait... Actually, there was two. Same beats and rhythm but twice. They must be in the same band, I guessed.

The next morning, I woke up at about five, feeling like shit. It was a long time since I had a headache. My stomach was not helping either for not digesting food properly. I wanted to vomit everything I ate out; even though, I did not even touch a single plate of food.

Fuck it! I took a Tylenol and went back to bed, hoping to wake up again with a better mood.

About three hours later, I scavenged for what I could make. My eyes pinned at the meat and remembered about Lian.

I should go pick her up, soon. I checked the time and reconsidered it... Maybe, I could pick her up, now.

'Jason, I'm borrowing your bike,' I said, forgetting that he was not there. 'Oh well, I've said it... It's your problem, not hearing it.'

I took the bike out in a pretty bright day for Gotham. The sun was not completely out, but it was surely out there. About two minutes of driving, I was burning up.

Shoot! Why was I such a pain in the ass for myself?

I quickly drove into an alley, using the shade casted by the old brick buildings. I waited not so long for Gotham to be Gotham and continued my way.

I parked in front of the gate and rung the bell.

'Come in, Miss Albertsons,' said the usual British Butler, opening the way.

'Thank you,' I gave him my gratitude.

I rolled the bike in with me and settled it before the stairs.

'Welcome back, Miss Albertsons,' Alfred greeted me, before I could knock the huge wooden double door.

'Thank you, Alfred. I'm here to pick Lian up, and maybe if Ms. Gordon is here, may I talk to her?'

'Of course. Miss Lian is in the Games room, but Miss Gordon is not home. I can make an appointment for you, if you're urgent,' he responded and leaded me to Lian.

'It's fine. It's not something urgent. Thank you,' I smiled and followed him.

The girl was playing air hockey on one of the many tables. Dick and Ms. Kyle were there with her, so I greeted them. I stayed with them for a while until they took us to the so-called Dance room. I chose a wall and sat one-fourth away from the wall beside and on the opposite.

Why was I there?

Well, they were playing games in the games room, and the music played. Dick said, it was his favorite song and began dancing with it. Ms. Kyle suddenly switched the music to hers and judged his dance as she "showed him how to dance." Apparently, none of them would stop bringing new steps, so me and Lian were dragged into the Dance room as judgers. Although, dragged would be such an exaggerating word.

The showdown started, and about ten minutes, Lian fell asleep on my laps. It was certainly a good thing because the dance was turning into flexibility contest. It was no longer the steps that counted, but how hard it was to manage to be in the pose was the score.

Oh, God! She just twisted her whole body!

I instinctively covered my eyes, but it did not help my stomach from turning. My eyes twitched, witnessing the impossible, and I covered my mouth, as Dick curled his back with his hands on the ground.

How was I suppose to judge this?!

Oh! No, no, no, no, no... Hell, no... She got her puts the hands on the floor. She ached her back, like she was breaking it in half, and pointed a leg out with her thigh almost touching her head.

That was it!

I softly pushed Lian out of my laps and ran off. 'Restroom,' I told them.

Fuck where was the restroom? I ran back, feeling even sicker.

'Second room to the right,' Dick said, pointing the way.

I got there extremely fast and turned the handle. Unfortunately enough, it broke right in my hand. 'Argh! Dammit!' I cried, throwing it away, and pushed the door open with my hand. I could not believe my life had gone so low to the point that, I was puking like a drunkard in the toilet bowl.

'Woah... Are you okay?' Ms. Kyle kindly asked with a box of Kleenex in her hand.

I took some Kleenex from her and answered, 'I'm alright. Just a little cold. Thank you.'

'It's not a good news?'

'What do you mean? I'm sick...,' I needed clarification.

'Like maybe you're not sick, but you're pregnant?' she gave me a piece of her mind.

'No, I don't think so; even though, it could be, it won't happen this early. Thank you for your concerns,' I smiled.

'No problem,' she replied me an understanding nod.

I flushed and washed my face. It had only been five days. There was no way, the symptoms would be showing. I glanced out the opened door to Dick that soon got here, carrying the sleeping girl.

'Hey, what happened? I saw a door knob on the floor,' he showed what was in his other hand.

'I'm sorry. I broke it. I'll pay for it, if I can,' I apologized.

'Nah, it's fine. We got spares. So... You're sick?'

'Yeah.'

'You should've said something before,' he brought out his phone from the pocket and continued, 'I'll get Jason to pick you up, then.'

'Thank you,' I responded, hoping, maybe at last he might show up.

He tried a couple time and sent me a concern look. 'Weird, he's not answering. Do you know where he might be?'

'I thought, he's with you guys,' I stated.

'No. We thought, he's with you. Well, he's probably out there somewhere,' he shrugged his shoulders.

'Yeah... I guess so...,' I was deep in thoughts because he mysteriously disappeared, and he was not with them. I was not really sure, if I had to worry about it. 'Anyway, thanks for taking care of her. I'll take her home, now.'

Ms. Kyle stopped me with a small smile, before I took Lian from Dick, 'Why don't you leave her here for now? You're sick, she's asleep, and we don't mind her staying. You can comeback whenever you feel better.'

I returned her smile and gratefully thanked her because I did not believe, I could take care of her well at this state.

I got back home and threw up again, so I soothed myself with a bucket of chocolate ice-cream. It was not a really good idea for an ill person, but it was indeed very soothing. I bundled in my blanket and went online, and as expected at the age of twenty-two, I still ended up in some fandom. Not bad... Actually, very bad, but whatever, I was sick.

I finished the bucket and tried to sleep, but the sugar got me a little too hyped. Something got into me that, he might left a note on the TV, or the window. I got off the bed and checked every inch. It seemed like I could not get it off my head that, he went out many days silently.

I stared at the door to his room and thought of the power I found. If I could touch the large carpet that covered his room, I might be able to get some information. I stood in front the room again, fighting with my righteousness. No wonder why, curiosity killed the cat... but satisfaction brought it back.

"Hell, I'll only be in there for a second to find the answers and come out. Nothing will be steal, or damage. Nothing. He won't even know I've been there," I thought for my own positivity.

'I'm sorry, Jason. I'm going in,' I apologized; even though, he could not hear me.

I opened the door and looked around. It was dark, so I turned on the light. To my amazement, the room was possibly cleaner than mine. But back to what I wanted to know, I had my hand on the carpet and commanded for his whereabouts.

There, he walked through me. It felt weird, but I was actually the one passing though him. I patiently watched as he stared at his phone questionably on the other corner of the room and accepted a call from someone. His facial expression changed from carefree to serious in matter of seconds and instantly changed into his uniform. He headed out by the window, and once his last foot got off the carpet, the image push me back to where I was.

With the available information, I went to the stool of the window and said the magic words. Like the others, it showed me the image of him, and it stopped when he leaped to the ladder next to the building.

I continued going after his trail, and he stood in the middle of the roof. It looked like he was looking at someone, or something, but they were invisible to my sight.

'I don't have a lot time. What do you want in exchange?' he got down right into business. The speech gap was there until he said, 'You can't force me... Fine. Deal.'

For the slightest time, I saw a giant human being when it punched him. He glided across the roof upon the impact and got back on his feet. He ran to it, slid under, and shot a couple of bullets on its ankle before he climbed on its back. Because he was in contact with the being, I could now see it clearly. It was Bane, and he was growling from the pain from the damage and the nausea on his back. Red Hood cut the energy flow with his dagger and got down waiting for the being to deform. On his wait, he caught an arrow, and the tip exploded with anesthesia gas.

He was surprised, and it did not put him down instantly. He was able to walk, which gradually became an amble, to the boss. He tried to pick another fight and against, 'That was not on the fucking deal, Talia,' before he collapsed.

Even though he was unconscious, the vision was still playing as two men in ancient styled clothes raised him up because his feet were dragged. Three steps later, they stopped moving, and I watched as they stepped on the now visible helicopter. Then, what I saw ended when the helicopter departed.

I was back on the same roof at night, instead of the imagination afternoon, with unanswered questions.

What was the deal he made?

Why was Bane there?

Who was Talia?

Who were the old fashioned men?

Why did they take him?

Where did they take him?

He was obviously kidnapped, and I could do nothing. At least... 'Show me Talia,' I talked to the concrete.

A beautiful olive-skinned woman appeared in grass green Arabic maxi that matched her eyes. She resembled to Damian, or should I say, Damian resembled her. However, without concrete evidence, I could not do much but remember the face.

Maybe if I could get my hands on the information base...

"Come on! No! I came into his room without permission, and now, I was thinking of hacking his computer. That was even worse!" cried out loud by the Superego's sake.

"But didn't I just wanted to help him? If I found out where she was, I would know where he would be," debated my Id.

"Heck! I'll just fuck everything up and brake up with him after I helped him. It was not like our relationship was going to last anyway," my Ego stupidly decided.

I sat in front of the computer, observing the keyboard for possible password.

Hmm... I had no need to do this, right? I could just ask the keyboard itself psychically, without actually put my brain into it. I swore, this was the most convenient power I ever had... like I had any to start with.

The keyboard gave me the password, and the mouse guided me to the source. I was informed about the League of assassins and the drug that Bane used, Venom. I learnt of it before when Ms. Gordon mentioned the drugs, so in-a-way, Bane and I were both victims of the mad scientist. We could be friends... Right?... Probably not.

There was a lot of reading and maps, which I did not mind, but before I forgot, I should tell the professionals about this. The problem was, it was late and I got no contact with them. I let the computer find me the way to call them, and it did.

I gave myself a coffee break before I following the process. I sat back down and listened to the ringing of the video call.

I sipped the coffee, and Ms. Gordon's voice almost made me choked.

'Hey, Red! Never heard your calls,' she said, not looking at the screen.

I observed the backgrounds, before claiming, 'Hi! Sorry, I'm not Red.'

She startled up at the screen and said my name, 'Andrea?! How are you on the line?'

'That's a long story, Ms. Gordon.'

'In duty line, it's Oracle. How are you?' she greeted.

'I'm fine. A bit sick, but I'll be alright. Okay... how do I begin...'

'Just the main idea should do,' she advised.

'Okay... Do I have to use the duty names for everything?'

'No, you don't have to.'

'So... Jason is captured by Talia, the one in League of Assassins, two days ago.'

'What?! When did you know?'

'A moment ago.'

'How?'

'How did I know?'

'Uh-huh,' she moved her body forward in interest.

'Can you remember the psychic ability I might discover? I found it. It's psychometry...'

'Are you sure, it's that and he's gone?'

'Yes. I haven't heard of him for those days, and I tested the ability before putting to work.'

'Okay. We'll look into it. Don't worry... And, I heard, you're sick. I'll get Alfred to pick you up in half an hour, so we can talk in details, if you don't have anywhere to go yet.'

'I'm free, so see you soon.'

'I'll wait for you, bye,' she ended the call.

I went into my room,after downloading all the information about the League into the helmet. I might be able to hitch a ride to the Middle East there. I prepared a black middle sized handbag full of the things I needed. I was pretty sure, they would not let me go with them, so the smaller the bag was the easier I could sneak in.

Thanks to Jason for being the anti-hero, he already had all the ways to hitch a ride without permission for all of Batman's vehicles down on the table. Of course, I did not forgot to sync that valuable information.

I changed out of my work clothes to a black long sleeves v-neck top and a green khaki cargo pants with leather belt.

I wait for about five minutes, and my doorbell rang. I accepted the call, and it was Alfred. I got a navy coat over me and left the place with the bag.

It was about eight when I arrived at the Manor. Ms. Gordon was expecting me at the entrance, and she walked to be a secret room.

'So you said, if you ask the object what you wanted to know, it will tell you?' she concluded.

'Yeah,' I confirmed.

'Can I test it?'

'Sure.'

'The piano has a secret code that will give us a way to the cave.'

'And you want me to find the secret code with the ability.'

'Correct! And, can you show me how it works?'

'Of course.' I explained, as I demonstrated, 'Well, all I had to do is put my hand on the piano and ask "What is the secret code to open the entrance?".' I paused when the image appeared and continued, 'They "showed" me in like a short video clip, and all I do it press on the notes it gave me. At Middle C, C3, plays E, F, G, C4, G, F, E, F, E, D, C3, and D.'

The grandfather clock descended into the floor, and a passage appeared.

She stared at me and the passage and muttered, 'Alright... I think, I need to make some calls.' She took out her phone and called someone. 'Code Red: Red Hood is captured by the League of Assassins. No reasons discovered yet.' She hung up and smiled at me. 'Let's go in. I heard, you were sick. We better check you up, while waiting for them.'

'So you didn't believe me when I told you the first time,' I uttered with a little neglected feelings.

'No, I didn't. I just can't believe anything unless I see it myself. I checked the surveillance cameras both from us and the community, but nothing showed up... Psychic abilities are just too hard to track on, but I witnessed what you proved. Therefore, you better not let me down,' she explained in her defense.

'I won't,' I assured her.

'Alright, now, take off the belt, any jewelries, and any large metal off and lay down on the bed. I'll scan your whole body, so we're sure, you're not sick because of the drug.'

'Okay.'

I did as she said and got on the PET/CT machine. Well, it might be more advance the one in the hospital and has a different name, but that was what it looked like to me. After it ran through me once, I noticed Ms. Gordon squealing. I glided out of the tunnel, and she happily smiled at me.

I stood up, and she hugged me. 'Oh, my God!'

I was confused, 'Is there something wrong?'

'No, there's nothing wrong. The drug is not effective negatively. Also... Congratulations!'

'Congratulations?'

'You haven't realized it yet?'

'No.'

'You're five weeks pregnant with twins!'

'Ha ha ha... You're joking. There's no way, I'm five weeks pregnant, and little to no chance to have any twins. I was probably dating him, but we didn't even start having sex yet five weeks ago.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean, it's impossible.'

'Were you dating anyone else at all?'

'No, I'm dead single for like three years.'

'But, that's... what the result said. There's also no way it's wrong.'

'Well, there's no way it right either. If you said the embryos were five days old, then that would by more believable.'

'No, it's five weeks. We can measure them. If they were younger, we won't even be able to detect them... Wait, you said, five days, right?'

'Yep.'

'And, you're drugged around the same day.'

'Yes, I remembered.'

'Think of it, it's still possible.'

'You're telling me, the drug also made the cells inside me divide faster?'

'It could be,' she believed.

'If it does, I'm probably developing dozens of tumor by now,' I joked in disbelief.

She inhaled a breath and did not exhale, after hearing it.

'Oh, my God! Breath! I'm sorry. It's a bad joke.'

'God, yes! One more person with dark humor,' she said sarcastically.

'I'm sorry.'

'No, no. There's no need to apologize,' she glanced at the watch and continued, 'They are coming soon, so I guess, we better get out of here.'

'Can I go there with you guys?' I simply asked for permission.

'Nope. At least, if it's not for yourself, think of the unborn.'

'I told you, I'm not pregnant,' I stood up for my view.

'I said, you are,' she glared at me with the serious pair of sea-mist colored eyes.

I sighed in defeat and responded, 'Very well, then. You don't have to escort me. I'll go. Thank you for everything.'

'You're welcome.'

I took the elevator up and went back down by stairs. She repeated that, I had twins, but I just could not convince myself that I was. I secretly boarded the aircraft because I had already made up my mind.

* * *

A/N:

Dear Readers,

These are questions, I made up. Hope it answers some of your curiosity. (Please read the chapter first, or else this would be a spoiler.)

Q1: Why did she suddenly become a vampire?

A1: After reading the chapter, you will know that, she is going against the League of Assassins. Because she is just a normal human being with kendo, karate, and gun skills, I do not believe, she will not last an hour in the den. Therefore, being a vampire is just a power up for her at the meantime.

Q2: What is psychometry? And why?

A2: I gathered information through the internet, mostly Wiki, and found out that vampires can have psychic abilities from magic. I decide to choose psychometry as the ability for her because she usually observe people's history through sight and touch. In addition, an easy way to interpret, a person with psychometry will be able to sense an object's history though physical contact. It comes in handy because I do not think, the League of Assassins will leave any solid evidence out, if they captured someone.

Q3: Why vampire?

A3: I tried to find a new drug name that started with V to follow the Viper and Venom. Then, I saw this one DC's Arrow issue about werewolves, so I went down the path of mythical creature, instead of poison. I also want her to keep the beautiful human form, so that was why she becomes genetically-made vampire. Because she is genetically-made, I just mush all the cool stuff I like her to be from various sources of vampire. Cool stuff, I mentioned, apparently included burning in the sun and also the touch of silver.

Q4: So is she, or is she not, pregnant?

A4: I am still in the middle of the decision.

Q5: What is the answer to the puzzle, "E ILOO UVY."?

A5: "I LOVE YOU." in alphabetical order, so Leelee is correct.

Sincerely,

Anon001


	27. Chapter 27

I was hiding in the corner behind a table, waiting at the dock of the cave for Alfred to get the Batwing ready. I put on my helmet and checked my bag. There was two holster with Glock 17 and eight extra magazines, not including the ones loaded. I turned my face left and right suspiciously and accidentally found some small black spheres in two different trays. Sleeping gas said a label with a red dot on the sphere, and smoke bomb said the other with plain black color.

Golly! I took a handful of five each and tug them in the bag. At least, this time I was more than sure, nothing saw me, stealing them.

As timely as the Butler could be seconds later, he entered the dock and brought the aircraft out. I watched as it came out and noticed, it was not the same one as he used to pick me up for the Riddler case. It was black, but it was about five times bigger and darker... and also cooler.

Alfred got it set up and opened the counterweight garage door of the plane before he drove the Batmobile in. He parked it inside and used the remote control to close the garage, without looking back. I took this chance with the help of my inhuman speed to get into the aircraft, and luckily, I stopped myself just in time before bumping on the Batmobile.

Oh, my God! I could not imagine how much I had to pay, if I damaged it! It looked so precious to the point I was not dare to touch ... it was the Batmobile, I also could not just look over it.

Alrighty, I gave myself a minute to check out it out curiously. Not admiringly or cherishedly, not at all. I got back on track, after being distracted, and placed the tracker under it, before finding a place to hide.

According to the map, I downloaded on to the helmet, I was directly under the kitchen and next to the storage room. The side note I got confirmed, no one ever bothered to go to the room next door, but it had temperature controller. Therefore, it was a safe and comfortable place to hide.

I entered the pitch black room and used the helmet's night vision to find a wall. I laid down against it and used my bag as a pillow, planning to sleep though the trip. Suddenly, someone opened the door slightly. I got up instantly to see who, but that person closed it without coming in. I sighed like I took the whole mountain off my chest, but it did not last when I heard a noise... a cat meowing to be specific.

I switched the vision to infrared and found it walking around. I laid back down on the floor, and it did not take a long time for the cat to find me. It curled up in my arms for additional warmth, and I pet it softly as the aircraft lift off. I wondered, who would bring a pet with them to a fight. The person that brought it here sneakily, probably did not ask for permission to bring it in, too. Well, thanked to them, now, I had a company.

Around an hour into the four hours flight, the rocking movement of plane soon sent me to sleep. Three hours later, I was startled awake again when I felt the plane descending.

I felt a complete stop when I checked the time, and they were there with no delay. I placed the cat out of my way and prepared myself with the things I needed on me.

I started filling my cargo pant with four extra mags on each side and added the sphere balls into the pocket as much as it could fit. I tightened the gun holsters on my waist, while I carefully listened to the-people-above's conversation with the enhanced hearing. I also heard the two drum players again, but I ignored it and focused on the important information.

After an amount of conversation continued, I assumed, there was three other people on the aircraft. One of them was Batman, and he was recapping the attack and escape routes. The conclusion of the plan was, one of them was going to stand by with Batwing out here and the other two were taking the Batmobile to the site. Once they were done, or needed back up, they would alert the person on the Batwing.

I knew, I would need a ride back; therefore, I put another tracker in my purse since I was going to leave it on the aircraft. I waited for the two members to take the Batmobile away, so I could go out at my top speed, without exposing myself to the person on the plane with the security cameras. Soon, there was a loud engine noise as they drove out at full power, and the tracker showed me that they were about a hundred meters away in two seconds. I stealthily peeked outside from the storage room, and half of the garage door was closed.

Perfect! I glided under it right before it closed all the way down.

I ran after the Batmobile, leaving an unsuspicious gap between us, and saw it parked in front of a gate. It was dark, so I did not see it clearly, However, I was sure, the gate was carved on the stones in between the two canyons. The inside of the carved stone did not look like someone could live in, but when I slowly walked more into it, it became more and more habitable. There was also light, but I did not know where it was shining from at midnight. I gazed into the opening and was blinded by the light for a second, before seeing the whole village. I took the helmet off out of amazement seeing how big and beautiful it was.

A second later, I reconsidered it with my eyes rolled side way because I thought to myself about how long it will take to find him here. This could take centuries!... Why was I there to start with...

Anyway, it would take centuries, if I did not start moving, now. I made a step on the brick side walk and made myself blend into the crowd, but I was still distinguishable because of my twenty-first century clothes did not match with the Ancient Arabic style. I was planning to steal someone's clothes, but suddenly, a man covered my mouth and pulled me into an alley.

I fought him out of reflexes and pushed him to the wall with a gun on his head.

'Woah, woah. You don't want to kill me, Sunshine,' said the man in black clothes, similar to the people outside.

My eyes widen because I knew that voice. I let go the five-foot-eleven man and said questionably, 'Dad?'

'Correct!' the white man exclaimed, uncovering his mask, and his long butterscotch hair was shown with the stubble beard.

'What?! I thought, you're on a mission! What are you doing here?' I quested.

'This is my mission. I have to ask you, what are you doing here?' he pointed at me.

'I'm looking for someone, here. He's a bit taller than six-foot, probably wearing a red helmet with an autumn jacket,' I replied, putting the gun away, and used my hand to indicate the height.

'Do you mean, Red Hood?'

'Yup. That's the guy. I thought, you didn't know him.'

'Of course, I do, but why are you after him?'

'He's kidnapped, and my source lead me here. So... have you seen him?'

'Go home, Andrea. You can't help him. The person that brought him here is equivalent to a princess outside, maybe even a queen. Let alone going into the castle, do you know how many defense layers there are?'

'Eleven.'

'Yes! And you think you can go through all that?!'

'Uh-huh,' I nodded.

'No! Leave that to the Batman,' he advised.

'You're right, but at least, let me see that he's fine. I promise, I'll go home right away. Staying home, right now, is just a torture for me.'

'A torture for you? For real, I've never seen you want to be outside, other than that time,' he shrugged, without extending when was that time.

I did not ask when was it and continued, 'Well, you've been an undercover for two years. I changed.'

His hazel eyes stared into me with concern and commanded, 'There's something, you're not telling me, and you are going to tell me, right now.'

'What do you want to know?' I countered confidently.

'Why bother being here just to see if he's fine? Do you even know him? What is your relationship with that guy?' he interrogated.

'He's... Well, I mean... We're dating,' I answered shortly, but that should give him the idea for the other questions.

He facepalmed himself, and mumbled, 'Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God... There's like hundred thousand men out there for you to choose! Why him?... John is not going to like this.'

I was a little confused with the triple Gods, he said, when I answered, 'I don't know, and why are you talking about John?'

'You can't remember? Well, it doesn't really matter. I'll take you to Iris, so we can get you a more blended in clothes.'

'Iris?' I questioned in disbelief.

'Yeah, Iris. Can't you remember her?'

'The one from G.U.S.T.?'

'Which other Iris are there other than the one we both know?'

'Iris is here?!' I repeated.

'Yes!'

'So, you're taking me to her... You're not taking me back home, now?'

'No. I know, how stubborn you are. Even if I drop you in front of the gate, you'll find a way back in.'

'Thank you,' I smiled, as he lead the way.

'Wasn't a compliment,' he closed, as savage as always.

He took me to an old apartment and made me wait there until he came back with her. I patiently waited, without doing anything. I seriously would rather do nothing; however, about a minute after he was gone, I felt the nausea, again. Fortunately, Dad showed me the bathroom before he left, and I was done throwing-up when he got back. I swore to God, if I had the chance to leave this sick body, I would.

Dad was back, and for the first time in ten years, I met Iris. She was tanned and a little shorter than me, now. She had her dark brown hair cut short in a bob, suiting her young-and-ageless oval Chinese face.

'Oh, my God! Andrea! You've grown so much! I missed you so much, my little girl!' she cried, wrapping her arms around me.

'I miss you, too! How are you?'

'I'm fine. How are you?'

'I'm good!' I knew, what I said was wrong grammatically, but it was just a conversation.

'That's good,' she patted my shoulder and gave me a set of clothes. 'This is the uniform. Your dad briefed me about what you're doing, so I'll bring you into the castle.'

'What about Dad?' I quested.

'Ha ha ha! Him? I'm the one with the higher status, here. Your dad is no one,' she mocked her boss friendlily.

My dad was careless and brushed it away with his hand, as he sat on a chair.

I smiled at him and responded her, 'I see.'

'So, I already got the horses ready. When you're done changing, we'll get going.'

'Thank you, Iris.'

'You're welcome.'

I put on the black uniform over my clothes and readied to leave.

'Bye, Dad. I love you,' I bid with a hug.

'I love you, too, and I'll see you, soon, Sunshine,' he replied with a kiss on my forehead.

I got on the back of a horse and followed behind Iris's. We traveled pass a statue, holding a sphere that seemed to give out the light. Iris said, the person carrying the light was Ra's al Ghul, the Father of Talia al Ghul, the woman that took Jason. I asked too many questions as we moved on constantly to the castle, but she did not mind. We passed through the first gate without any problem and rode the horse up the steps to the top of the castle which was the entrance.

To me, it was a little ironic to know that the nearer you stood to the ground, the higher your status was. Iris corrected me that, it was not ironic for them because the most sacred element was underground, and the sacred element was the reason of G.U.S.T.'s investigation that started ten years ago.

I took note of it, and we carefully went through the guards together. I acknowledged, the security got tighter and tighter each floor we went down, and I had to say, we almost got caught on the sixth layer, or the seventh defense.

On that floor, she got off the horse, and we walked through the aisle of doors to different rooms and stopped at the next checkpoint. Normally, we would take the horse with us like the other identical floors and give the guards her sword that worked like an identity cards to go lower. However, this was as far as she could go, and it seemed to be a rule for individual to walk on their own hall.

'This is as far as I can drop you, Andrea. Good luck,' she uttered.

'Thank you for everything, Iris, and I'll see you, soon,' I smiled, and she smiled back.

For the next two gates, I was able to pull off the sleeping gas trick because there was not as much people and they were all in one place. Although, on the last two, there was no gates, but there were soldiers against the wall every meter part. I checked the map, I synced, and calculated about hundred solider on that floor. With the limited time of thinking, I decided to just run pass them, after making a situation, and hoped for the best. I threw a smoke bomb into the hall and caught all the army's attention. Then, I ran cross the hall and exit the door on the other end. I took a deep breath after I closed the door and turned out, they did not even noticed, I was there.

However, the other set of soldiers, that was guarding the last room I was in, clearly spotted me.

'Damn it, I should've been more cautious!' I muttered under my breath, as I put the lock on the double door, and voiced audibly to hundred assassins, 'Hi, there! I'm a bit lost here. Could anyone show me the way out?'

So dumb, how could someone believed such an excuse? I facepalmed myself, as they attacked me in slow-mo all at once.

I sighed with nothing much to do. I took out my guns and began blistering the bullets at them. Surely, I aimed for their limbs! I did not want to kill them by any mean; even though, they were probably trying to kill me.

Only one-fifth of them was down when I used up my first two magazines. I swiftly dodge the other attacks, as I refilled, but I used it up again in the matter of time.

'Come on, people! Do you know how hard it is to dodge all you, trained assassins, and reload?' I bashed, after one of them threw a knife pass my arm. I bled, but it essentially healed because of the drug. Then, I suddenly remembered a move, I used to be pro at, and smirked, 'Actually, not really.'

I threw two full mags in the air, release the empty mags in hand, and caught the full mags with the empty gun slot. It took longer than I used to be able to reload, but the skill was still obviously with me.

I used the same trick two more times, and I was out of ammo. I did not take my eyes off the four that remained and picked up a sword from one of them that wounded.

I took advantage of my speed to go behind one of them and marked a cross on his back. The other one came behind me, and I accidentally stabbed him in the stomach. I let go of the sword because if I took it out of him, now, it might cause him to bleed to death. The other two dashed at me from opposite side at the same time. I jumped up when they both were a step from me, and they crashed on each other.

I giggled a little at the two idiots and walk to the last door. It was probably the largest wooden double door, I would be seeing in my lifetime. I looked around for a moment and retrieved a dropped sword from the ground like an RPG character. I brought back my attention to the door and pushed it open. I peeked in for a little overview, but I saw no one. No soldier. Not even one.

I let myself in and observed the whole place. It was a large foyer with a very high ceiling, and every inch of it was covered in white-marbles. At the center of the room, there was a green pond below ground level with a long path of white-marbled bridge leveled to the floor. At the far end of the bridge, there was an empty throne on the steps and one more on both sides.

Something sacred, they said, but I did not see any. Was it the throne that they were talking about?

I investigated the surface of the place for a while, without noticing the hidden trap door until it opened wide. I waited for something to happen, or someone to show up. In another word, I was expecting the boss... Or was it?

When he ascended from the marbled floor and slowly stepped toward me, I could not breathing for a second. I stared at him, and my instinct made me back away.

He was Red Hood, but I sensed something wrong in him like I could no longer trust to take my eyes off him. I was worried, he was not himself. Suddenly, the wooden door behind me shut, making me startled because my back was gradually touching it.

There was no more steps to make for me, while he still did. He banged the door with his hand blocking my way, and the next moment, I felt a sharp pain on my other shoulder. I glanced at the shoulder with only the handle of a dagger shown from the stab. From there, I was certain, he was Red Hood, but not the Red Hood, I knew.

'Who are you?' I quested, ignoring the pain, but he did not answer.

Unfortunately, I was not patient enough to wait and cracked small half of his helmet open. I was surprised at the sight because the person under the hood was Jason. I lifted my chin to the door and started tearing up. The wound was hurting, but not as much as the throbbing of my heart, knowing the person that hurt me was the love of my life.

I quickly wiped the tears away with the unharmed arm and eyed his expressionless face. With the shaking voice, I asked, 'So, are you going to take it back, or can I keep it?'

He dropped his hand, but he did not take the dagger. Therefore, I guessed, it was mine. I firmly held on the handle and took a deep breath, before I pulled it out in one stroke. It hurt so much, my legs dropped a little with a whine, but it took only seconds for me to heal.

I watched him opened his hand, and a blade was summoned out of nowhere. If he was himself, I would be taking his hand and examining it to know how that happen, but I did not had the chance to. He grabbed my neck and pushed me on the wall, and I hung on to his wrist, tip-toeing, as he pointed the sword at my bare neck.

I closed my eyes, chuckled a bit with a smile, and stated pathetically, 'I'm such an idiot to think I will be able to save you when you are trying to kill me... Now, that you've hurt me.' I paused to breath, glaring into his turquoise eyes that used to be loving, and continued, 'I'll beat the shit out of you until you said sorry and begged me to stop!'

I kicked him on the chest fairly hard with both of my feet that he flew about three meters off the ground. I got back on my feet, as he flipped and landed on his. Now, both of his hands had a sword, so I equipped myself with one, too.

I attacked him with a high jump, planning to land the sword on his head, but he defended it. I was reflected backward, but no harm was done yet.

He had the skills, the strength, the endurance, and the speed. I began evaluating him; even though, I had never done this with someone I trusted before. I admitted, it was also heart-breaking to do so.

I was a few steps away when he swung his swords above me. I handled the sword vertically to defend myself. He pushed me down lower, and my blade was beginning to crack. I had to move away before it completely broke in half, so I tilted the blade to the side and dashed two meters away.

"Sorry, Jason, but right now, I'm stronger, faster, and painless," I told myself, feeling the tears running down again.

I jumped to attack like the first time, but this time I expected him to deflected it. He did, and I used that impact to flip over him. I swung my sword horizontally across the back of his legs, as I landed on the ground successfully. One point for me, since he could no longer use his legs as freely.

He knew it, too, and dismissed all the swords to display his guns. He aimed and bursted multiple bullets at me. Because I was faster, the time was slower, and so were the bullets. I dodged them easily and paced toward him. I disarmed him and pushed him to the ground. I kneeled on top of him and grabbed the collar of his uniform, as I threw some hard punches on his face.

I was hurting him, but my tears would not stop running down my cheek. Punching him just felt like I was punching myself. I saw his face bleeding, and my hands went weak. 'Goddammit! Please... Jason, come back! I can't do this anymore!'

I closed my eyes, pulling up for one more, but he caught my fist in mid-air and made me look at him, before he released it. He stared at me regretfully and uttered, 'I'm sorry... If my strength comes back, so will it. I can't bare to watch myself hurting you anymore.' He coughed blood and sighed, 'Please, just kill me.'

'Jason,' I whined with the flooded eyes. He was back. My arms trembled down to hug him and confessed, 'I can't kill you.'

'Just do it, dammit!'

'No, I can't.'

'Why not?'

'I love you. That's why. Because I love you.'

'If you love me, then you'll... Argh!' he yelled like he was soffocating.

I lifted myself up to see him from the sound, and his cold eyes were back.

I was too near to retreat, and before I knew it, he already summoned a blade through me.

I felt my skin burning, as I bled. I sensed all my strength being drained by the sword and began paralyzing me. I could not move an inch forward, except dropping on floor. I thought, I was supposed to heal, but I was not.

'Nooo!' I heard him exclaimed, as he overthrown the mind-control with rage. He held me in his arms, calling, 'No, no, no, I'm sorry... Please open your eyes, Andrea!... Please... stay with me...'

My eyes drifted close gradually from its heaviness, no matter how much he shouted, or whispered. My body was aching without recovering itself, and I got no more strength left.

"Hate to say this, but it's too late, Jason. I'm sorry... I love you."


	28. Chapter 28

White and misty.

Did I die?

Seriously?

From just a stab?

I thought, I would die from old age with heartwarming scenes where I said my last words with everyone and watch them sobbing... Apparently, not anymore.

Was I ready to die? Well, I already died.

'Mommy! Mommy!' I heard a boy, calling for his mom.

'?' I thought, I was dead.

The boy showed up in the mist and pointed at me. He had on a red T-shirt and shorts with sneakers. He was about five years of age, healthy, with fair skin tone and short black hair. He gave me an energetic smile, and shouted, 'There you are!'

I turned around to check if someone was behind me, but there was none. I sent him my questioning looks and pointed at myself, asking if he was talking to me.

'Rye! Quick, she's here!' the boy said, looking the other way.

Another boy showed up with a paper, and he was almost a replicate of the other one, except his blue shirt. The first boy took his hands, and they ran to my direction together.

They both stopped in front of me, and the second one called, 'Mommy, sit down, we want to show you something!'

I still was not sure, if they were talking to me. They sat down, and the first one looked at me and patted the floor, mimicking an adult posture when they wanted them to sit.

I was stunned, and it took me several seconds to come up with a conclusion. This must be hell in disguise, and these two unstable human being must be the evilness. There was no way making me stay with two toddlers a heaven, so my ordeal was probably taking care of them... Okay, maybe easy enough because they both seemed nice and adorable. Fingers crossed, though.

I sat down with my legs crossed, and the second one began talking with the stick family picture, 'We drew this picture... That's Mommy. That's Daddy, Bourbon, and me!'

'Pfft. So you're Rye, and you're Bourbon,' I found it interesting when their names were after whiskeys, 'Cool! I bet, your dad must have won a jackpot to name both of you.' They did not reply, focusing on their master piece with the crayons that came out of the mist, but speaking of their father, I continued, 'So, where's your dad?'

'He's not here,' they said in chorus.

'I see,' I nodded in respond.

Suddenly, the one in red stood up and put his hand forward to pick up the one in blue. The boy looked at him and took his hand like they understood each other with no words to be told. The second one got up and lend his hand to me. I took his hand, and we walked into the clouds side by side.

I glanced right and left, but I saw nothing, except blankness. After a certain amount of walk, a white door appeared, and they stopped.

'Bye, Mommy,' they bid me.

'You're not coming with me?' I quested.

The boy with red shirt replied me with another question, 'Do you want us to be with you?'

'Well, I'll ask you another question. Do you want to be with me?'

They tightened each other's hand and nodded, 'We do.'

'Then, I do, too,' I said, giving them a smile.

The boy in blue shirt began sobbing and thanked me. They soon disappeared into sparkling dust and dived into my chest. It did not hurt, but it was surely surprising.

'Wow... I thought, you guys were coming through the door with me,' I talked to myself.

I opened the door and entered it. I started to float like I would in the water. Then, I felt the sensation of liquid, but I could still breath. The next moment, I was drowning, and I could not move any of my muscles.

Was it even possible to die and die again?

All of sudden, I got control over my body again, and all my muscles reflexed to come out of the water. I stood up taller than the waist height water, heavily panting. I looked down at myself, putting things in order, after finding myself in the green pond.

I got stabbed, I went into some type of coma, I saw those twin boys, and I woke up in this pond.

Who the heck was those two? And, most importantly, what happened to the wound?

I checked all over myself, but there was none. I lift my head up and saw Jason in the pond with me. He looked hopeful, but he really needed stitches.

I moved backward in case that was still not him and questioned, 'Jason?'

He blowed up into tears and wrapped his arms around me, whispering with his heavy voice, 'I thought, I've lost you.'

I heard him, and my eyes was also flooded with tears of many emotions combined. I hugged back and told him, 'Jason... I thought, you're not coming back to me, too.'

We were in each other's arms again, but then, he pushed me away and turned his back to me.

'I'm sorry... You won't see me again,' he stated.

'What do you mean?' He would not answer, so I pulled him back by the shoulder. 'Answer me, Jason!'

'I meant, what I said! I knew it since the first day I met you that there's no way our relationship is going to last! And, there's no need to make it last any longer!' he raised his voice at me.

I took a deep breath, controlling myself, and asked passively, 'Then, why did you start it? Why?'

'Because you're like this! So cool, so calm, so peaceful... So happy like you got nothing to regret... You are everything, I want to be, but I'm not!'

'Then, why are you leaving me?'

'Because I'm destroying it.'

I gave his words too many thoughts, and wiped my tears away. 'Hell... you're right... You won't believe how desperate I was when I knew you're in danger. You made me troubled when you're not around. You destroyed my stable single life without leaving a piece of it left by making me so much happier when I'm with you... I guess, you want to destroy that too.'

He hesitated, but he chose to leave. I wanted to call him back, but my voice would not let me. I felt like I could not breath after he vanished, and it hurt like hell.

Confusingly enough, my eyes were dried. Maybe, I cried too much, and there was no more left to come out. I slowly picked myself out of the water and looked around, finding Batman and Robin arrived at the entrance.

They stood there, waiting, and I walked up to them to ask for a favor, 'Can you take me home?'

The Dark Knight put his hand on my shoulder and spoke, 'You've come a long way.'

I was not sure what he truly meant, but what he said hit me right in the chest. I must have come too far, and it was time for me to go back. My heart was crushed, and droplets of tears ran down my face again.

'Can I have a hug? I really need one,' I sobbed and hugged him without his permission, but he did not seem to mind and patted my back. I had to get something out before I burst, so I told him, 'You seem to be a good dad, but your son is such an asshole.'

'Hmm,' he responded neutrally, but I took it as an agree.

'Thank you,' I was very grateful. I felt a degree better, and unexpectedly, I remembered about the empty magazines in the other room. It might worth a hundred dollars all together, but they were his. I would say, that was the first payback, I gave him.

* * *

They dropped me off at the apartment. I was still upset, but I just cannot put myself in depression forever. I opened the door, holding the door knob a little too hard, but it did not break. Well, that was good. Maybe, I was back to normal.

Yay! I should sound happy, but I was not entirely it. Well, since I was back to normal, there might be no more dizziness, no more vomiting, or any other thing... I should be happy.

Wait...

Just before I went into the unit, the elevator door opened, and a woman came out. She had on very bright happy aura and a pretty pink and white knee length dress, in perfect contrast of me. She seemed to be our - my - neighbor, but her perfume was very strong, too strong.

I gave her an acknowledged smile, and she responded me the same, before we both separated our ways. I took a deep breath, and there it came again. I rushed to restroom with my mouth covered just in case.

Oh, my God! Just when I thought, it was not possible for me to vomit because I had not touched any food, my body proved me otherwise. Suddenly, what Ms. Gordon said came back to me. Was I pregnant? Heck, it was probably from stress.

I left the restroom and made myself something to eat. I saw some leftover olive that was on its way to expiration in a month. Personally, I was neutral with the taste, so I decided to make Greek salad. There was also steaks, and I also put it on the menu.

I chopped and cooked things up, and my... I checked the time... breakfast was done within an hour. I finished the meat first because I did not want any left over and moved on to the salad. I ate it slowly and then stabbed my fork on the sliced olive. We stared at each other deeply in love.

Yeah, in love with an olive!

I did not see, why not. I used to be able to love someone - something - heartless. Olive was just another one.

Just thinking of it made me mad, so I chomped the heartless vegetable in my mouth. By the way, that was an act of displacement in defense mechanism.

Hmm... Actually, it tasted pretty good. I might really like it, just I did not give it a chance before. I paced back to the fridge and added several more olives.

Once I was done, I put away my dishes and pushed the door to my room open because the knob broke off ever since that day. The wooden frame of my bed was put to the side, waiting to be thrown away, and the mattress was on the floor.

Everything seemed black and white to me because every inch here made me remembered so much about the past not so long ago. I just wanted to ignore everything, now.

How could I still stay in the apartment with so much memories, you may ask?

I would not lie and say it was not a torture, but I seriously got nowhere to crash. I could go to a hotel, or something, but at this sicken state, I did not believe, I could make it through somewhere I was not familiar with alive. If I go back home, there would be a high possibility that my mom was going to come back here with an axe. And you knew, I paid this month's rent and bought all the stuff in the fridge, right? Well, most of it anyway.

Fine, I admitted, I wanted to see him at least once more...

The next day, I went to work and then to the shopping mall until dark, avoiding to be in the unit as long as possible, so I did not have to think so much. I felt a little contrast to myself yesterday because I wanted to see him, and the only way was to wait there. However, I could not make myself to do that on the day. It was just too painful.

My third day was the worst. It was my day-off, and I stayed home. Surely enough, it was a bad idea. I had to force myself to eat, which had never happened before, but even sweets tasted bland. Sometimes, it got a little worse like I wanted to explode into pieces, but I did not.

On the fourth day, the things I ordered to replace the broken ones were delivered. I must appear pretty beaten up because the representative took a day off right after she saw me. She literally dragged me to a coffee shop and gave me a lecture. As a stranger, I was not sure why I stayed until the end, but what she said was very soothing.

'Remember those happy days when you haven't met him? You were fine without him, so why keep yourself in this hellhole?'

I was not certain, if it was soothing or harsh, now, but that certainly woke me up... I realized, I did not have to push against the dead end. All I had to do was to take a step backward, breath in, and make new move...

'Stay strong', she remarked, before she left.

Thank you, Harper Row.

I took her advice to use. I made myself a bath and drift into thoughts that I did not want to set a foot on. The thoughts that made me reflect upon myself.

"Wow... my life is ridiculous predictable. I don't have to beware of anything because nothing is going to happen. The guy that took me into the crazy zone is long gone, and I don't even have to go back into it. This is the life I yearn for. This is the life I wanted... Or is it?"

A week later, I went back to work like usual, and I already got all the things repaired. The heartbroken feelings eased, but not fully recovered. I cried on my own from time to time because I remembered, but I promised myself not to forget what happened between us as a moral. Life was gradually getting better. Although, the sickness was still there, and I started having a bad habit of eating in the middle of the night.

That day, I came home with a stack of paper about the new client. I spread it on the sofa table and began working. I remembered, at some point, I fell asleep at the table.

Deep in my sleep, I smelled alcohol, cigarette, and gun powder. Then, I felt like somebody carried me off the couch with my head against their chest. When I was able to open my eyes vaguely, I saw him, and I knew, it was a dream from there because I had never seen since the day he left like he said so.

In the dream, I hugged him and broke down bit by bit, for it was meaningless to stay strong in the world no one, but me, knew of.

'Jason... I miss you,' I admitted in tears.

He did not say anything and carefully put me down on the bed. He untangled my arms around his neck and placed them on my side, as he tug me in. Before he left, I caught his hand. He seemed to notice that I wanted to say something to him, so he leaned down. I would have wished, the real one to understand me that much.

I tried not to cloak my voice with sorrow and confessed, 'I tired, but why do I still love you?'

He kissed my forehead, and I stole a kiss on his lips, addressing the emotions I retained. I did not know he drank until now, and I tasted the drink, as he mirrored the sensation back to me.

Soon, he stopped it and whispered, 'Good night, Love.'

I startled awake on my bed the next morning to my alarm with a really bad headache, and all I thought was, that was one hell of a nightmare. I tugged it away to the back of my head and prepared to see the client.

'Good morning, Mr. Wright,' I greeted, getting off the chair.

Mr. Wright walked in with formal clothes, except no tie. He had rich almond skin-tone and stood around six-foot-three. His head was bald, and his face was clean shaven. All in all, he was charming.

'Hi, Miss...'

'Albertsons,' I continued for him. We shook hands and sat down.

'Miss Albertsons, you are such beauty. Have we met somewhere before?' he hit on me.

I laughed it off and answered him, 'Probably not. We should start talking about your bakery.'

'Bakery. How did you know, it's about the bakery? I don't remember, giving you that information.'

I picked it up from the hand shake, but I denied it, 'You must have forgotten about it. So, is it still about the bakery, or are you planning to make another business?'

'It's the bakery,' he affirmed.

So, how did I know?

First, there was no line on the forearm of his suit and barely any writing bump, so it was pretty safe to presume that he did not have a desk job. Second, there was a faint burnt mark on his thumbs and the side of his index fingers, which meant he worked with something at a high temperature. Maybe, he worked at a construction site, but his hands were too clean and soft to be it. Last but not least, he had some flour stain near the pocket of his trouser.

Splendid! At least, my brain worked better than my heart.

After a little more than two hours, we were done discussing about his options right at my lunch break. He started his business very well, so we took the time for the changes he could make to increase the profit even further.

As I was escorting him out, he asked, 'Would you like to go out for lunch together?'

'I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for any kind of relationship, yet,' I put the blocker right up and explained with a smile, 'We just broke up last week, and things are still pretty hard. Thank you for asking.'

'Oh, that must be tough... I'm sorry,' he sympathized.

'It's fine. I'll see you next week. Bye,' I bid with a wave.

'Bye,' he waved back.

I went back into my room and drifted into my thoughts. I should have gone with him, and I could have.

Why did I not go? Life must go on!

But, I was exhausted.

I had tried not to emotionally attach to anyone too much because I did not want to hurt so badly, and I succeeded twice. However, when I had to be super cautious about it, I was not.

Why did I think, it was even possible?

Why was I so sad when I already knew it was impossible?

Damn it! I just wanted to scream out of the top of my lungs.

Anyway you would not believe me because I could not believe it myself, I dragged my soul all the way to the last minute of work.

It was dark and raining outside when I left the office. Normally, I would take the long way home to avoid the opened bar on the short way, but I did not think, I could be able to go another twenty meters further.

I walked passed the bar, and out of my poor decision-making, I decided to go in there. I chose a single seat in front of the bartender and ordered, 'Neat Bourbon, please.'

The bartender nodded, and I sat there quietly, excluding myself from the loud people on the tables. She served my drink, and I thanked her.

The glass was a finger full of the amber-colored alcohol, and it smelled like I was in a carpentry shop. I tried it, and the woody aroma grew significantly, leaving a sense of sweetness at the end.

What the heck did they just served me?

I swore, the flavor of the transit from woody to sweet was a lot smoother than how my life shifted from sweet to bitter... I just wanted to cry again, and I was not even drunk.

Fortunately, I did not cry in public, but unfortunately, I was disturbed by a huge tattooed man that acted like a gangster with five men behind him. He slammed the table with five grand next to me.

'Why don't ya spend the night here with me, Barbie?' he formally and politely invited, I described sarcastically.

Alright, he was probably a low-graded gangster because the great ones like Falcone was ideal gentleman.

'Not enough?' he talked to himself and threw two more grand on the pile.

'Sorry, I'm not interested,' I said, stopping the bartender that was trying to defend me with a long sword on the table.

He put down three more, and I completely blinded him from my sight.

'Bitch, ya ignoring me?' he started to get upset, added four more, and reached out to play with my hair.

'Don't you dare touch me,' I threatened.

'Whatcha gonna do, Bitch?' he challenged with a really mad tone and raised his hand about to slap me probably.

He swung his hand down at me, and I was on my guard to take him down. However, a random guy showed up, grabbed the retard's face with his bare hand, and sunk the back of its head into the concrete floor. The sound sent everyone in the area to silent and wondered what was happening.

The random guy dominated the larger man, snatched the neck of his shirt, and growled furiously, 'Touch her, and you're a dead meat.'

The retarded man turned mad and yelled at his underlings, 'What the fuck are you waiting for?! Kill him!'

One of them reached to the guy that helped me, but before he got him, I grabbed his hand and sliced it off with the bartender's sword. 'Touch him, and you're a basket case... Decision, decision.'

They all ran away, except the person, I took his hand off, dropped on the floor with one other guy that was in shock. I knew that was nasty, but the doctors would be able to sew him back with such a clean cut.

'Bartender, can I have a bag with ice please?'

She stared at me shock, but she got me the ice. I casually put the hand in the bag and handed it to the guy that was also in shock. I guessed, heartbroken could make someone heartless for a while.

'Here, take your friend to the doctor,' I told him, giving him two grand from the table.

'I'm sorry for chopping your hand off, and here for the medication,' I gave him four grand.

'Step forward whoever is brave enough to make sure those two went to the hospital and come back to tell me!' I shouted into the crowd and got a giant mustached fisherman. He seemed decent enough. I gave him a grand and told him, 'Take him to the doctor and take a photo of him with the doctor and the sewed hand. Come back and give me the photo, and I'll give you two more grand.' I gave the bartender two grand, apologizing for the shock and the use of her sword without permission.

I looked down at the last three grand and then at the random guy. 'Why are you still here? Aren't you the one that said, I won't be seeing you again?'

'You're damn right. I'm just waiting for my money.'

'You don't have to wait for it. You're not getting any.'

'What?! But, I saved you!'

'I didn't ask for your help! I don't even want to see you again, you heartless jerk!'

'Fuck it! I'm sorry!... Can we start over again?' he put his hand forward and introduced himself again the third time, 'Hi, I'm Jason!'

I was so upset with him, I punched his face with all my might. He did not move away and received all the punch. Then I was not just upset, I was also irritated because I knew he could have dodged it. I massaged my wrist until it eased from hitting such a thick-headed person and took his hand, 'I'm Andrea.'


	29. Chapter 29

I got back on my seat, and he sat next to me, ordering a drink.

He quested, 'So we're good?'

'No,' I answered and explained, 'you have to stay here and listen until I'm done complaining about the you that dumped me last week.'

'And then, we're back together?'

'No. I also need the other eleven grands I have to give away because you showed up and a get-back-together gift, not counting the drink you will have to pay for me and the cracked floor you have to repair,' I continued the list.

'Then, we're back together?' he questioned, increasing his questioning voice.

'No,' I simply answered.

'What else do you want me to do?!' he shrugged his hands and shoulders like it was impossible to have any more.

'Other terms and conditions may apply later,' I did not know what else I wanted him to do, too, but just in case.

'Fine, I got it. Why don't we start with the first one a bit later? I want to know if,' he reached his hand over.

I cut him off and pulled my hand away from him, 'Oh, you thought, I won't start the complaint, now?! God knows, I've been holding back for a week!' I took a deep breath and rapid fired, 'You are a narcissistic, neat freak with bunch of daddy issues who wears leather jacket even in July just to be cool. You didn't even bother to stab me from behind and then dumped me when you knew I was fine. Heck yeah, I was fine until you send this young lady to give me an hour lecture, so I can get over you. Do you think, I'm that dumb to not notice who was the fat man three tables away? Also, how drunk were you last night to step in the house with those muddy boots?! Now, you're here asking me to get back together with you! Seriously, at last, you're just one of those unintelligent human being.' I ended and finished the drink from thirst, forgetting that alcohol would make it worse.

'... Wow,' he uttered speechlessly. 'That's the most creative complaint, I've ever heard.'

'What do you mean?'

'I was expecting one of the words like asshole, jerk, bastard, dumbass, or even son of a bitch at least once, but you didn't say any of it,' he extended.

'Oh... I just didn't want to state the obvious.'

He choked on his drink and looked up at me.

'This is your chance to run away, Jason,' I looked down with a smirk.

'Who said, I'm going to?' he replied with doubt and his voice half an octave higher.

'Well, you got the chance,' I remarked.

There was a moment of silent until he puzzled, 'Can I say something?'

I gave him a questioning look, 'Of course. I'm not gonna stop you, if you really have to tell me the excuse you've been practicing all day.'

'I got no excuse for what I did. I just really want to know if it hurts?'

I got upset and yelled at him, 'You're asking if it hurt when you dumped me? Hell, it did! So, if you're going be here to make me feel worse, then don't be!' I took off, but he got up and held my wrist back. I tried to get him off, but he would not let me go.

'Wait, listen! Listen to me first!' he insisted, controlling my shoulders.

My eyes bursted into tears as I shouted, 'What do you want from me, now?! Isn't this already enough?!'

He shouted back, 'Come on! I just want to know if your hand hurts!'

I was stunned for three seconds. Maybe, I was just a bit too bitchy and jumped too fast to a conclusion of my own. But, 'Oh, my God! You got to be kidding me!' I face palmed myself and discreetly let out a small smile.

'No, I'm not kidding,' he pulled up my hand that punched him and continued, 'Look, it's red.'

I wiped the tears away and said, 'It's fine... What about you? You didn't even dodge the punch.'

'I deserved it,' he admitted, feeling his jaw.

I gently brushed my finger on the spot. He flinched and fell back onto the chair. 'Are you really okay?' I concerned.

'I'm fine. There's just some cuts.'

I asked for some cold cloth and applied it on the swelling area, 'Well, that hit suppose to knock people out. It just didn't work on you.'

'It almost did... I can't even remember when was the last time I got punched this hard.'

'Why would you get any, if you're fast enough to block it?'

'Ha. You're right,' he smiled and focused on me.

We stared at each other, and my heart started to race. I wondered when was the last time I could feel my heart beating, but I was glad to hear it again... I really missed him, the way he looked at me, the color of his eyes that changed with the light, and everything about him.

'Love,' he chimed, 'I don't think, I'll have eleven grand to give you back, but how does free rent and a full-time butler for a year sound?'

'Sound as good to me,' I smiled, stepping closer.

He cupped my cheek and reached up. The mood changed swiftly like lightning but sweetly, and we...

'Ahem!' the fisherman interrupted us with his loud cough.

He gave me his phone with the pictures I requested, and I contentedly saved them on my database. I handed him the two grand, and he left.

'Okay, where were we?' I asked.

'We were about to kiss, but it's pretty awkward, now. Don't you think?'

'Yeah... you're right. I should still be mad at you because I didn't get the gift yet, too. Let's hold that back, shall we?'

'Actually, you know what, I'll take it back,' he stood up and leaned in.

However, before his lips touched mine, I put my hand in between. 'Sorry, but I'm not taking back my words. Alrighty, I'm going home, now. Don't forget to pay for the bills.'

He rolled his eyes and banged his forehead on the table several time.

That night was my first in a very long long time to walk home with him... A week... Well, it was a very very long time for me.

It was a short walk of five minutes, but because I was enjoying it, the time flew like seconds. We went inside the apartment, and he turned the lights on.

'Wait here for a second. I got you something,' he said, before I stepped inside my unit. 'Here,' he handed me an overall shorts, but the problem was, it was Red Hood fanmerch.

And... Shit, that was a bullseye...

I realized, I was smiling, so I stopped it and ranted quietly to cover it up, 'Man, you think, that's good enough for a get-back-together gift? You're full of yourself.'

He smirked and pointed out, 'So, you don't want it? That's fine. I understand. It must be pretty hard to like someone that stabbed you.'

He acted like he was taking it away as a bait, and it got me. I took it from his hand and proceeded, 'Well, I'll take it. I don't think, you'll be able to find anything better anyway.'

'I won't argue with that,' he agreed sincerely.

'Yeah, yeah,' I bid and closed the door.

Fuck it! I hate knowing that the best gift I would like from him was also part of him which sounded ridiculous. I would not be as mad of that gift, if the anti-hero was not him.

I tried the overall on, and it fit perfectly. The design was simply black background and a red bat sign on my chest, but what surprised me was, there was a custom made sign on the hem of the left short.

A thought suddenly flashed into my mind. How awkward would it be to go up to the counter and give them all the size with no notes for someone that was not even there, especially for your own merchandise... Luckily, no one knew.

The scenario triggered me to laugh hysterically, I could not help it. Because of how loud I was, he broke in and asked if I was okay with a very worried look. Without a second thought, I quickly put a towel over myself because I did not want him to see me with the overall. I did not know why then, but it was probably ego stuff. His worries soon turned into confusions, in which he decided to leave my room without a word.

The next morning, after I used my time to make a conclusion of how to act when I saw him, I opened the door. He was chilling with a cup of coffee at the table in a grey T-shirt and a black sweatpants.

I walked up to him and explained, 'I've been thinking all night, and I know what I want, now... I feel like you were right. It might not work for us. I think, you should take what's yours and leave.'

He dropped the cup and sighed, 'So this is it? I dumped you last week, and I guess, it's my turn... Okay, fine, I'll leave.'

I silently watched him packing up. He filled up a backpack and swung it on his shoulders. I followed him to the exit, and he carried me off the ground.

'What are you doing?!' I exclaimed.

'Leaving,' he simply responded.

'Then, why are you carrying me?!'

'You said to take what's mine and leave. That's why, I'm taking you with me.'

'Oh, my God! Put me down, Jason!'

'You sure?'

'Yes! Put me down, now! Ah!' I screamed when he dropped me in the air and caught me again before I was on the floor. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... Don't do that, again,' I clung on to him.

'Then, don't do this, again,' he directed.

'What did I do?' I cried all innocent.

'You acted like you don't want me at all!'

'Great! You knew, it was an act, and you still packed up.'

'I just want to know what you're going to do next. What are you going to do, if I'm really leaving?' He closed the door and took me inside; even though, we never actually left the apartment.

'I'll tell you that, you forgot something very important, and that's me,' I smirked at how the perfect plan could work both ways.

'Ha,' he had me against the wall and continued, 'Well, if I ever tell you to take your stuff and leave, don't forget to take me with you.'

Our eyes were glued to each other, and finally, our lips connected passionately. I tasted the coffee in him, and that only increased the excitement.

'I love you,' he said between the kisses.

'I love you, too,' I echoed, using the gap he gave me to catch my breath.

Every bad turned good rapidly, but my outer most layer of clothes did not make it to the bedroom, again. Not that I minded.

By the time we decided to take a shower, I already missed my breakfast. It did not matter much to me, as I gleefully search for ice-cream. I thought, I bought two more buckets, but I did not apparently. I opened the cabinet and pulled out a pack of Oreos.

I sat down, beginning to eat, and the first row vanished.

"Okay, Andy, you got to stop eating," said my Superego.

My Id shrugged its shoulder like it did not care, so I decided, "One more. Just one more."

"Yeah, just one more... row," the Id sassed.

"Indeed, just one more row with chocolate milk," my Ego agreed.

I poured the milk in a glass, and my better half wrapped his arms behind me. He kissed my neck, and I greeted, 'Hi, there, Sleepyhead.'

'Hey,' he replied and fondled my breast. 'I've been thinking,' he continued, 'your boobs got bigger.'

'That's a bubble thought. You didn't have to say it.'

'Are you pregnant?' he asked casually with no choice of tone.

I was a bit confused, so I puzzled, 'Why do you ask?'

'No reason. I saw the calendar, and it said, today is your second day. So, it got me wondering,' he explained.

'It's probably late. These two weeks had been pretty stressful for me.'

'I'm sorry for giving you such a rough time,' he paused like he wanted me to say something. I did not, so he continued it himself, 'It's fine, Jason. You're here with me now, Jason, so everything is going to be fine.'

I added to it after he was done, 'Yeah, everything is going to be fine until random assassin drops by our balcony.' Right when I finished the sentence, there was a knock on the window. I rolled my eyes and checked it out, 'Oh! Hi, Damian!' using my second voice.

I let go of Jason and let the boy in. He was at least an inch taller since the last time I saw him as Damian, and he jumped in with a large hand bag grumpily after the window was wide open.

I queried, 'What happened?'

'Nothing,' he denied, 'I just want to be here for several days.'

'Did you fight with your dad?'

'No,' he said, but his face got red.

I hugged him and soothed, 'Let it all out, Damian. Don't beat yourself up with those words he said to you.'

He hugged me back unexpectedly and angrily whispered a name, 'Grayson.'

It was not loud, but both of us heard it. Jason looked at me from behind the bar counter and shrugged his shoulder, acknowledging that this was not the usual problem.

My problem was not usual too when I felt the urge to vomit. I covered my mouth and gently pushed away from the hug, 'Sorry, just give me a second.' I rushed to the bathroom and slowly breathed in and out.

'Love, you're okay?' Jason came in, examining me.

I took another deep breath and answered, 'Not really... Is there lemon around here?'

He covered the back of his neck and responded, 'Yeah, I think so, in the fridge.'

I ambled and searched for what I wanted in the fridge. I grabbed it and cut it in pieces. I did not know why, but I just wanted to taste it.

'Umm... You're going to eat that?' he quested in amazement.

'Err... Yes,' I confirmed, shifting my eyes left and right. I ignored him and bit on it, and the sourness hit me full on. 'Oh, my God!' I cried satisfyingly.

'Not sour?' he puzzled.

'It is. That's why, it's good.'

'Alright, I give up,' Jason turned away, not brave enough to watch me devour that sour lemon in one go.

A little later, I felt better, so I got back on task, 'So, Damian, what did Dick do?'

'It's nothing,' he closed the door, not letting anyone in.

My mood swung to the bad side within second and bashed, 'Boy, we're going to your house, right now!'

I dragged him and Jason with me, but then, Jason stopped me, 'Wait, why are you dragging me into this?'

'For God's sake, you guys are brothers!'

'He's adopted,' Damian stated.

'At least, he chose to have me,' Jason roasted the boy to ash.

'Okay! I'm sorry for not being specific enough. You guys are "legally" brothers, so can we go, now?'

'No!' Jason resisted.

'What now?!'

'We're not going out dressed like this, are we?' he asserted with his black T-shirt and brown shorts.

'I have grey tank top and a short jeans on, and you have your clothes on. We both are dressed, so what's the matter? It's not like we're going to a gala!'

He raised his hand in defeat and grabbed the key to the car.

'I'm not going,' the teen boy stood firm.

'Give me a good reason why,' I commanded with my arms crossed. If he had one, I would not force him to.

'She said, she doesn't want me there.'

'Who is she?'

'Grayson.'

'Not specific enough. I want her first name, too, and how dare she kicked you out of your own house?!'

'It doesn't matter anymore,' he answered listlessly.

'What do you mean, it doesn't matter anymore? I. Want. A. Name. Damian,' I intimidated him.

'It's Mar'i, Mar'i Grayson,' he gave in, annoyed.

I looked ever his attitude and quickly went through the list of names I remembered from the family, but apparently, I've never met this one.

'Alright, I got no idea who she is, but we need to talk,' I stepped out of the apartment with no intention of getting stopped by anyone... except my own body. 'Just a second. I need to use the restroom. Wait right here, and don't move an inch.'

Once I was done, we all left to the manor. My mood got questionably calm when we reached the gate.

What the heck was happening with my temper? Could anyone's moods change this many time in an hour?

We entered the Manor, and Alfred was standing by next to the door and greeting in the order we came in, 'Good afternoon, Miss Albertsons, Master Damian, and Master Jason. How may I assist you all, today?'

'I'm looking for Mary Grayson,' I said, pretty sure that was her name.

'Alfred, who's that?' a girl about ten-year-old popped her head out of the living room and stared at the main door, where we were, excitedly and sadly. She had coppered skin and shoulder length black wavy hair, and her eyes were abnormally glowing green. She flew across the hall, passed me, and hugged Damian, sobbing.

She fucking flew across the hall! What the heck?

I watched them as Damian tried to push her away like he did not what anyone to see him with her, but she resisted, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I just didn't want to lose!'

'TT,' he got rid of her and stomped to his room.

The girl remained on the floor crying, so I picked her up. She flicked her arm from me and ran away.

'What the hell? Now, I don't even understand what's happening,' I murmured.

'I don't what to say this, but I told you so. We didn't have to come here. This family is far beyond comprehendible,' Jason commented, pulling out a cigarette.

I snatched it out of his hand and lectured, 'I'm already back with you. You don't need this to ruin yourself.'

He grinned and teased, 'Cause just you alone can already ruin my whole life.'

I glared at him and advised, 'You better have a good meaning to it.'

'Of course, I do... I'm addicted to you, and there's no way of quitting that.'

I felt my face redden, so I shifted my attention to Alfred and interrogated, keeping my cool, 'Do you know, why they are like this?'

'Yes, I do, and would you like to talk about it over a cup of tea?'

'I would like to! Thank you,' I placed high hope on the cup to make me feel better.

'Mint Majesty?'

'Yep, you remembered!'

'Of course, Miss Albertsons. I'll prepare it for you right away.'

'Ahem,' Jason interrupted once Alfred left, 'When did you guy become so close?'

'I think, it's pretty long ago. Before you're gone, before you brought me here for dinner, but after you brought me to the gala.'

'The only time I remembered between then was when you called me though the coms.'

'Yeah, we became friends that day.'

'So, you guys met for the Riddler's case?'

'... Yes,' I realized, I did not tell him anything about it.

He smirked and remarked, 'I didn't know you were also good at solving riddles.'

'I'm not that good. The riddles are just cliche,' I did not denied.

'I see,' he shrugged his eyebrows like he half believed in me, but not the other half. However, he did not ask me any more question, knowing that he could look it up.

'The tea is ready, Master Jason and Miss Albertsons,' Alfred came back to usher us.

We went after him and sat down on a round table facing the park. He poured us tea, and we chatted a little before getting into the main subject.

Alfred revealed, 'Master Damian was furious because the little girl suddenly showed up as Master Dick's daughter not long ago, and she tried to replace him in every form. About three hours ago, they made a match, and whoever loses will have to let the winner do whatever they pleased. The result was, Master Damian won. However, Miss Mar'i did not like the outcome, and accidents happened out of her rage. Master Damian might have seen his old self in her, so he decided to leave.'

I leaned forward with my hand cupping my face, feeling a bit proud of the boy, but then, why did he do that to her when we got back? Why would he want to push her away that much?

I thought to myself, "This could make a good love story, but they're only sixteen. Things could change, and getting into it would make me a bit too nosy of their business. Hmm... I'll just keep my interest close but not too near."

'Andrea!' Jason shouted, and I was startled by it.

'What?!'

'What were you thinking? I've been calling you so many times.'

'Nothing.'

'Tell me. I saw you smiling,' he tried to squeeze it out.

'I'm just happy. I think, we should go,' I answered and started packing up.

'Where to?' he puzzled.

'Home.'

'Home?'

'Uh huh. There's nothing for us to do, now.'

'What about them, the reason you dragged me all the way here?'

'They'll figure it out,' I smiled.

He took his time to catch up with my emotion state, and he mentioned about my moodiness, 'You are all over the place, today.'

'I agree, but sweets will make everything better. I really want some chocolate fudge from that restaurant.'

'Sure, but first of all, promise me not to complain when you got sugar crash,' he made it clear.

'I promise, I won't. I'll just make myself high all day.'

I turned to Alfred to say goodbye, and I saw him with the sign of happiness all over.

'Have a save trip, Miss Albertsons and Master Jason,' he waved at us.

Everything just seemed abnormally good. It made me doubt how long would this last, but I took it for grant and just live it like every other days.

We left the Manor, and he took me to the restaurant. We ordered some food for actual lunch, and I asked for the cake to be served first.

I dug in out of the abrupt hunger, trying to ignore his stare until I could no longer endure it, and pouted, 'Don't judge. I'm hungry.'

He chuckled and picked up the napkin to wipe the corner of my mouth, 'Hi, Hungry! Will you marry me?'

His hand went behind my head, and he pulled out a plain silver diamond ring. I was too shock to say anything, but then, he just took it back when a waiter served our food.

'Jason... What just happened?' I buzzed.

'Nothing, I'm just wondering if you want to go out on a date tomorrow.'

'Sure... Are you sure that was nothing?' I doubted.

'It was nothing,' he assured.

'Okay,' I let it slid.

Was that my own hallucination?

The next day, he drove us to an amusement park. It was pretty far from the city, so the place was not so crowded.

We went to the play station, and the situation just got uglily competitive. We spent about three hours there alone because I was replaying the game several time to win his score. He was nice, or arrogant, enough to let me try in those hours, but I still lost. Even though I lost, it was still fun...

I swore, that last sentence was a total lie.

The last game we played was Whack the Mole, and we were one point apart. I was so mad, I got emotional.

Why the emotions? I had no idea, and I was finding it more irritating that my health was not that great, too.

'One point! Only one!' I sobbed loudly and dramatically fainted on him.

'Aww... Honeybun, there's always next time, but I won't guarantee that you will win next time,' he proclaimed.

I playfully pushed him away and challenged, pointing on the biggest roller coaster of the park, 'Let's go on that ride. Whoever throw up first losses.'

'Challenge accepted,' he smirked and took my hand.

We waited in line for about thirty minutes to reach the second to top floor. It was one of those spots that we could see the whole ride, so I decided to film it when the ride passed by.

I used the front camera and began recording with myself in frame, before pulling him into it. About two seconds in, the roller coaster passed behind us, and we caught the riders screaming their voice out.

'Will you marry me?!' I heard him shouted in the middle of the screams, and I saw the ring from the reflection of the video.

I turned around to see him, and he acted like nothing happened, again. Although, this time, I was sure, he said it because I got the whole thing on tape.

I rewatched twice for certainty and answered him, 'Yes, I will.'

'What?' he quizzed me with no guilt.

'You asked me a question, so I answered.'

'I didn't ask anything, yet,' he simply lied.

With nothing to lose, I went with the flow, 'If you say so.'


	30. Chapter 30

Several more rides passed, and it was our turn. I put the grey cardigan that I selected to match with my pink deep-v T-shirt and jean into a locker because it was around my waist the whole time when the temperature was not that cold. Well, at least, today was one of the days that Jason was not wearing a leather jacket on top of his grey casual shirt and light brown cargo pant.

Actually, there was little to no clouds outside because we were not in Gotham, and I was not burning because the drug somehow disappeared out of me ever since the day I came back home from the Middle East. I liked it this way more anyway.

I chose a seat, and he took the one next to me. The staff later came in to check our safety, and the ride began. It slowly climbed up the steep track, and I could feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest.

I closed my eyes and calmed myself down, 'Here comes nothing.'

'Scared?' Jason commented victoriously like he knew he was going to win.

'No,' I hissed.

'Here, take my hand,' he offered with his hand out.

I stared at him with no sense of trust.

'Quick, we're going down, soon. I promise, I'm not gonna pick on you.'

I turned away, but I did not have the chance to turn it down. The roller coaster dropped free fall, and my instinct made me take the offer.

About 90 seconds later, it came to a completed stop. My grip on his hand was still firm when he looked at me with the charming smile. The ride unbuckled itself, and we came off the opposite side of the entrance.

I felt oddly soothing after I was able to scream at the top of my lungs like I wanted to for a while. I did not feel like I wanted to throw up, which made me confident that I could win this challenge.

'That was fun,' he said, 'but I think, you broke my fingers.'

I jolted, letting go of him, and examined his hand carefully, before realizing that his fingers were fine. I narrowed my eyes at him.

'I'm joking,' he laughed and suddenly collapsed to his back.

I caught his head before it hit the ground, and my knees redden from the sudden action. 'Jason, don't play around like this,' I tapped his face, but he would not wake up.

Within seconds, staff members were surrounding us and hovered him away on the red board.

'Ma'am, does he have any medical history?'

'No, not that I know of,' I answered, following them down the stairs.

It was one of the rare times that I actually was confused and did not know what to do. I was worried, I could not even get my mind to think!

Oh, God! I was panicking!

I could not even remember when was the last time I felt like this... Ah, wait... I remembered, I was as confused when he got into shock in the middle of the night a while ago.

Was this also it?

Was he shaking? No. Panting? No. Any sign of shock? No. I began checking off the check list I could come up at the time. Cold fingers? No, and quite the opposite. He was heating up and sweating with dried lips.

'He's very dehydrated, but if we got him into the shade, he'll be fine,' said one of the people that was carrying him.

Goddammit, dehydration! I almost lost my mind!

The medics put him in the shaded and cooler car, and he woke up. The weight on my chest lifted, and I hugged him out of relieve. A staff handed me a bottle of water, and I opened it, before passing it to him.

'Thank you,' he responded, turning to see the strangers around him.

'You passed out,' I explained.

'Because of?'

'Dehydration.'

'I see,' he responded like it was not a big deal.

'How are you feeling, now?' I concernedly asked.

'I feel okay,' he answered, tilting his hand horizontally.

I sighed, releasing whatever pressure that was still there.

Then, the physician interviewed him about several thing, before letting us go back to the park.

'No more extreme ride for us, now,' I repeated what they advised us to do.

'And, you're blaming me for that?'

'No, I didn't.'

'You were,' he argued.

'Oh, please, Jason. How fun would it be without you in the bloody long line with me? And, to be honest, I'm not hyped enough to scream my shit out again.'

He did not say anything back.

'Here, drink some more water,' I told him.

'Nah, I had more than enough there.'

'Please,' I pleaded because part of me remained worried. 'Just a sip... for me.'

He took bottle and drank literally a sip.

That worked for me. 'You did good,' I reinforced and patted his head. I could tell he was not pleased, but that did not stop me from grinning side to side. 'I love you.'

He took me hand down and held it in his. 'I could've loved you more,' he sounded disappointed.

A straight stab in my feelings made me wanted to know, 'What have I done so wrong?'

'Nothing, I just love you more than I used to.'

He caught me off guard because I almost forgot that he could randomly flirt anytime and out of no where. I was not prepared for it, and it was too much than I could handle. I bit hardly on my bottom lip and looked away, trying to get a grasp of myself, before I float too happily into the clouds.

'Are you mad?' he questioned my absence.

'No, why would I be?' I answered with my tweaky voice.

He sandwiched my face between his hands and made me look at him. 'You're blushing so hard, right now,' he teased.

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and bussed him unprepared. Now, I was not as nerves-wreaking after I gave him some of mine. 'I love you more.'

'Come again?' he goofed satisfyingly.

'I'm not going to repeat myself,' I hissed with the remaining tint of red on my face. I looked for a change of topic and saw the time. It was almost dinner time. I puzzled, 'How long are we going to stay here?'

'Until six when they start the fireworks,' he answered, 'I think, we should have some dinner first.'

'You've read my mind.'

We each got a meal set burger on the table near the window. I added a layer of mustard and ketchup into my burger and attempted to bite it whole. The sauce dripped on my chest from the bite, so I wiped it off with my finger and licked it gone. I searched for some napkins, but I forgot to bring some with me.

I saw that he was not eating, yet, so I asked for a favor, 'Can you get me a napkin?'

'Sorry, I can't,' he replied with a helpless tone like he would do it, but he could not.

I was confused by his use of tone. If he did not want to do it, he could have just said no. 'Are you joking?'

'I'm serious, I can't.'

I had to ask, 'Why, not? I mean, I'm going to get it myself now, but your tone of voice is not like you hate to do me the favor. Is something wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong. Like ya know, just when you thought you can completely control it, sometimes it just has a mind of its own... Just nature stuff, it will go away sooner, or later.'

I nodded and made my way to get the napkins, still wondering. I placed them on the table and one of the three I brought fell on the ground.

'I'll pick that up,' he volunteered right away.

'It's fine. I dropped it, I should get it myself,' I told him and dived under the table before him. I caught a glimpse of something he was trying to hide, and my jaw dropped. I turned to him with my mouth covered, 'Oh, my God...'

He rolled his eyes at me and commented, 'What? It's not like you have never seen it before?'

'Well, of course, I have seen your...'

'You don't have to finish it,' he cut in listlessly.

'Yeah, you know it, but I've never thought, I would see it in public.'

'I know, neither do I, but this is not helping.'

'Agreed, but you started first,' I soon figured, blaming him would not do any good, too, so I came up with an agreement, 'Let's just eat and pretend it never happened.'

'Yep,' he was down with it.

A few minutes later, we finished the meal, but he would not leave the table yet. I could not stop my curiosity and tried-not-to-be-rude rudely asked, 'Is it gone?'

'Andrea,' he sighed.

'I'm sorry... I'll check if the handicapped stall is open,' I tried to be helpful.

He pulled me back by my wrist, 'It's already fine since the second minute. I'm just waiting for the time, but if you really want to do it, I don't mind.'

I hit him playfully to make him let go, after realizing what an absurd scene I had done. I sat down on my seat, hiding my embarrassment with my head on the table. 'Did you know,' I began, trying not to make the silent worse, 'statistically people choose amusement park as their first date because it's where fear is mostly misunderstood as love?'

'I didn't know that, but how can fear be misunderstood as love when fear is part of love?'

I waited for him to backup his statement.

'You can't love, without fearing they won't be there one day,' he continued truthfully. 'And, I'm always afraid that one day you will disappear because of me,' he gave me a small smile, 'but, I'm more afraid of regrets for not being with you when I could.'

'That's super chessy, but I love it,' I appreciated him, before being distracted by a loud shooting sound.

The first three fireworks flew up into the sky and exploded brightly in the middle of the crimson sky out the window. I glanced at him in excitement, and a ring caught my sight.

Finally, he proposed, 'Will you marry me?'

And, finally, I answered right away before he changed his mind again, 'Yes, I will.'

He took my left hand and slowly placed the ring around my fourth finger. 'Nope,' he confronted himself and reclaimed the ring. I was bewildered until he extended, 'I need a retry... Let's go out for dinner, tomorrow.'

I was speechless and incomprehensible, while he held my hand out of the park and into the car. I could say that was a solid fifteen minute of me silently thinking about what just happened. 'Can you catch me up with what's happening?' I eventually inquired.

'We are going home,' he simply replied.

'No, I mean the whole proposal thing. You've been asking me three times already! And, you know my answer. What's all that?'

'Umm... Well, I know that you know that I know what your answer is, but just give me one more day. Everything was supposed to happen tomorrow, but I just got out of hand. I planned one, but I didn't know how the other three came across, too,' he blabbered, 'I... I'm not sorry for that either because you're the one that made those extra stuff happened... Actually, to be honest, it's also my fault for breaking up with you last week, and it made me realized how much I appreciate you.

'I know, this is gonna sound heck-a-lot-more cheesy, but just try listen to me. Barf, if you have to. Remember, when I came over in the middle of the night and you told me you still love me, I didn't even think when I bought the ring the next morning. All I could think of at that time was, I can't waste anymore time and I had to do whatever I have to to get you back. But when I got you back, I become greedy, and I didn't want to lose you again...

'Ya know, I got a plan, many plans, to propose you, but then it comes down to the four words I have to say. The thought was on loop in my head, and even though I already have the plan, I just wanted to say those four words whenever I had the chance to... I'm sorry, I talked too much.'

'It's fine... I mean, it was chessy, but goddammit, why do I feel so good? I freaking love you,' I responded, but then suddenly, I sobbed. Huh, another mood swing I guessed.

'I love you, too, but I'm confused. Why are you crying?'

'I'm happy. I've never thought, I will get to marry you. You're just way out of my league.'

'Come on, you're the one that's out of my league. Don't forget, you're clean, and I'm a criminal.'

'You're right, I'm clean, and you're a criminal... Holy shit, I completely forget about that! Will you kill me, if I said no?' I joked, laughing my tears away.

'No, I'll never do that... Are you going to say no?' he doubted.

'We'll see, I can't just let you know before you propose me! Honestly, if I didn't know you and based you off with that epic speech you just made, I would've thought you're a public speaker.'

'God, I wish, I am. The last mob I ran away from wouldn't even listen a word.'

We arrived home and prepared for bed. I nestled in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. I found myself falling asleep a lot easier with my personal heater around me. I felt like I truly got to rest around him; even though, I woke up at one in the morning to look for something to eat.

I jumped back on the bed half an hour later and checked him out - watched him sleep - until I fell back to sleep. Criminal, or not, I still loved him.

The next morning was as usual, I threw up again. He took care of me and all, but the symptoms were just too much. My period was late, I felt sick, my mood was not as stable, I ate lots more than I needed, and the worst part, I hated what I loved to eat like strawberries. Last but not least, all these symptoms were ones of pregnancy...

'Jason, I'm going out. Do you want anything?' I quested.

'No, but I can get them for you, if you want. You don't look well. Do you want me to come with you?'

'I'm fine. It's not a long walk anyway. Thanks.'

'Okay, see you later,' he bid with a kiss.

'Bye,' I waved and headed to the pharmacy.

I walked to the aisle, I never thought of going until I was at least twenty-five, and chose a couple of tests. I paid for them and returned home. Before I stepped in, I hid the products in my hoodie and acted like the trip turned out just to be a walk. I tested them all at once and waited for the longest thirty seconds of my life...

I should not have bought them to start with... I could just leave it ambiguous and leave the truth as it was.

I read the first one, and it had two straps, positive. I soothed myself that it might be wrong and moved on to the second one, positive. Well, there was nothing more to lose. I checked the third one, positive...

Yep, I should not have bought them. Now, it was clear as clean water that I was pregnant...

How the hell could one accident lead to pregnancy when hundred couples out there want a child but could not conceive?

Oh, my God...

What was I supposed to say to him? To my parents? My friends?

Oh, wait, I had no friends... Whatever...

Did he ever said, he liked kids?

What if, he did not like them?

What if, my parents knew about this? I meant, it would not affect them much, but telling them I was pregnant before introducing my boyfriend to them was going to be a terrible idea.

What if... Hell, there was so many "What if"s.

I could only decide to keep it a secret for now. I hid all the tests in my drawer and locked it.

'Andrea,' his call startled me.

'Yes?' I responded, trying not to be suspicious.

He looked at me suspiciously, but he did not pick on it, 'I made lunch.'

'Ah, thank you! I'll be right out.'

'... Are you hiding something?' he noticed.

'Yes, I am,' I admitted.

'May I see it?'

'No, nope, no, no... it's a surprise,' I made my way out without actually lying.

He did not believe me, but he trusted me. 'Alright, let's go eat before it gets cold.'

'After you,' I said with a smile. We sat down across each other, and I could not help myself but ask, 'Do you like kids?'

'No, not really, but I don't mind them. Why do you ask?'

I sensed something broke inside me, but I kept on going, 'Well, I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page... What if, I want to have them?'

'If they're yours, then we're talking. But with one condition...'

'What is it?' I got impatient with the slight hope.

'I gotta be their dad,' he smirked.

I giggled when he was being so full of himself, but hearing it made me feel relief. I continued, 'You do know about postpartum, right? My body might not be the same ever again.'

'Who cares? Your badass personalities ain't going no where.'

I blushed when I found that nothing went downhill like I expected. 'Jason,' I sang, 'I love you so much.'

'I love you, too,' he reached over and kissed my forehead.

We spent a couple hours together on the couch, watching a series, until we had to prepare for the dinner reservation out of town.

I dressed up in a pink strapless crop top and a white asymmetrical draped wrap cut out skirt. I looked at the mirror and found a very insignificant bump on my stomach.

"Is that my belly, or is it my baby?" I enjoyed myself.

He came into my room and hugged me from behind. He was in a black suit and sky blue shirt with no tie. He kissed my neck and puzzled if I was done.

'I just have to put on my shoes,' I stated, and for once, the sentence meant what I said.

I put on a wedged boots, and we walked. It took us almost an hour to get there, but the view surely worth the travel.

I heard the sound of the waves peacefully washing onto the shore from the parking lot where we parked. There were flea marketer's tents on both side of the pathway that reached out to the ocean.

Funny, he might not know it, but this was also where I had my first kiss. One less place to remember, I guessed. Although, I bet, this would be more memorable than the other.

We stopped at a restaurant with the ocean view, and the usher lead us to our seats. Jason ordered a bottle of wine, and it got me that I could not drink anymore. It used to be my choice not to, but it currently was mandatory.

He was surprised when I tried to cover the fact up by mentioning an article about how alcohol affect human body. It was not a good excuse, but I had it.

Ahhhh! Noooooo! I could not have coffee, too! Could not believe this was happening to me?!

'So you quitted drinking?' he concluded, snapping me out of the thoughts.

'Yep,' I simply answered.

'Great! That bottle is all mine.'

Somehow, I was envious of him. I meant, what else could I do, than watching him drink?!

By the end of our dinner, the sun was setting at the horizon. I followed him out to the pathway that leaded out into the ocean. He leaned at the white fence with his back, and I was next to him on my side.

'Do you believe in destiny?' he buzzed.

'No, not really... What are you trying to tell me?' I replied him with another question.

'Well, they said, if it has been destined, we'll meet once without knowing each other before officially introducing ourselves.'

'Uh huh,' I let him continue.

'Can you remember this place?'

'What do you mean?'

'I brought you here on our first date.'

'No... Are you confusing me with another girl? The closet thing to our first date was the shoot rang, or that restaurant you took me,' I expanded.

'No, this is where we had our first date.'

'You're drunk, Jason,' I declared lazily.

'No way! I only finished a glass!'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously. Can't you remember? You were the one that kissed me first, right here,' he turned toward me.

'No way...'

'Yes way, and guess what, it already happened,' he ended.

* * *

About ten years ago out in nowhere when my hair was truly butterscotch, there was a hidden organization under a desert. It was my typical day that I followed my dad to work, but one thing differed. My dad was called on a meeting outside. It was not a mission, so he took me along.

We met with his VIPs, the person he was contacted to protect. I could vaguely remember their face and name, but our VIPs were surely a man and a teenage boy.

I found the boy a little irritating at first, but he was a good companion for my boring days.

On the last day of the three where they prepped the VIPs with their security, the boy came up to me.

'Do you wanna go outside?' he quested depressingly.

I was not allowed to go out, so I was trying to come up with an excuse that would not make him feel worse. I took too much time to think of my answer, and he just dragged me out. I did not know what to do until I realized, we were already on the ground floor.

'Wait!' I cried, 'We're miles out of anything. Outside would be even more boring.'

'Trust me. I'll just hot-wired a car.'

'You know how?'

'Yeah!'

'No, we're not doing that. It's against the law!'

'Come on, I'm taking you with me because you seemed decent enough. Don't make me kidnap you,' he threatened.

Of course, he was a threat. He was like five years older than me. I was not sure of what to do, but when I saw him starting to pick the car's lock, I had to stop him.

'Don't... I have my dad's key,' I came up with the dumbest solution ever.

'You should've said it before...' he blankly looked at me. 'Which one is it?'

'The black jeep.'

We got on my dad's car, and I needed to know, 'Are you even old enough to drive?'

'No, not really,' his words paralyzed me. I wanted to take the seat belt off me and run away, but I froze. 'But, he taught me how to in case of emergency,' he resumed.

'Dude... That doesn't mean you can drive!'

'Of course, I can!'

He drove the car out, and I was sitting on the passenger seat, holding on to the seat belt. That was a bad idea. I should have run, but my legs would not move when I got the chance to.

'Where are we going?' my voice trembled with insecurity.

'I don't know, away from here.'

'Why?'

'Just... It's none of your business.'

'How can you say it's none of mine?! You're going to kill us both!'

'What the hell? Don't doubt me that much, I won't k...'

'Shush! Don't you dare jinx it! At least, tell me why did you just come out like this, so I have some reason to blame when I die... God, help me. I'm too young to die.'

'That guy is a freaking asshole,' he swore and sped up the car.

If I could, I would have hid in my shell, but I did not have any shell. 'Calm down! Why is that guy an asshole?!'

'Because... Because he is one! You don't understand! He called me a partner, but never even once, he actually thinks I am. All he does is saying, "Listen to my order, or you're not coming out again". That growling voice, too! It's not like they're afraid of it anymore!'

'Okay, got it! He is one, so can we slow down, now?' I beseeched.

He decelerated and made a stop at the side. '...I'm sorry for taking it out on you.'

'It's fine, totally fine. These sweats are nothing. I was not scared to death at all!' I pressed my sarcasm to its peak. 'So, can we go back, now?'

'Going back? By now, they probably realized we're not there. If we go back now, there's nothing but rewards, we surely don't want.'

'So, we're just going to stay here?'

'No. Who said so?' he smirked like he got an idea.

I face-palmed myself. This must be the worst decision of my life.


	31. Chapter 31

The boy and I ended up at a flea market near the beach because of a billboard sign. It was the beginning of spring, so the marketers just began opening their shops. Most of the time we spent there was just looking at things we could not buy because I did not have any money and he only had coins in total of a dollar. At least, there were enough cool stuff for us to check out for an hour, or two.

Soon, it got boring on land, so we stepped down the stairs and sinked our bare foot in the sand. But, none of us was dared enough to run into the cold water. We paced pass a vintage church and rested on a log that was washed up to the shore.

'I'm starving,' I pouted after the long day.

'You're being childish,' he complained.

'I am a child!'

He eyes went up and down at me, and he nodded to himself, before making a one-eighty degree turn from the direction we came. 'Let's go back up. I'll get you something to eat.'

'How? We don't have money,' I asked, catching up with him.

'Just watch and learn.'

We returned to the flea market, and he made me wait at the fencing of the path. I saw him, bumping at people and calling them back like they forgot something. That was all I could see since I was a little too far away to make any sense of what he was doing. Not so long, he came back with five one-dollar bills and his coins.

'Did you just...?' I was dumbfounded.

'It's only a dollar from each person. They wouldn't even notice it,' he clarified.

'But...'

'Take it, it's on me. I was the one bringing you here, it's my responsibility. Go get yourself something to eat.'

'What about you?'

'It's fine. I'm used to it.'

'... Thank you,' I appreciated from the bottom of my heart with a hug. Although I wanted to say his name, I could not remember. I was also not dared enough to ask him either.

'You're welcome,' he smiled selflessly.

I left and bought a sandwich. 'Thank you,' I said again gratefully, as I gave him half of it because it was a foot-long and his change.

'You didn't buy any drink for yourself?' he amazed.

'No, there's a water fountain not so far away. I'll be fine. But, I don't know, if you'll like the one I chose.'

'Thank you, I like it,' he appreciated my action.

'You haven't tried it yet,' I giggled.

He unwrapped it, saying, 'It doesn't really matter when I say it.' He took a bite and reviewed, 'I still like it.'

Our conversation ended there, and we ate in silent. Suddenly, I did not know where the thought and courage was coming from, but I aimed to kiss his cheek. Maybe it was because I was staring too long, he tilted his head to my side, and shit, our lips touched.

Anyhow, I would not have counted that as my first kiss, if he did not purposely kissed me again, and he did with his hands cupping my cheeks. He let go of me and told me, 'Let's go back.'

All I did was nodded without making any eye contact. He held my hand, and we paced over to the parking lots. It was so embarrassing, but at the same time, it always reoccurred to me that his lips were so soft. And every time that thought came across, my face would get more red.

He drove us back to the headquarters in awkward silences, but he took my hand into the waiting room. We did not know what our parents were going to punish us with, and I could not recall what was it.

However, I remembered my dad interviewing, 'This is the first time I've seen you enjoyed going outside. Did you have fun?'

I believed, that was the one of the countable times I was taken outside and wanted to be out there. Dad probably meant this time when he said, "I've never seen you want to be outside, other than that time." However, it was still not clear to me about, why would John not like this.

* * *

On our present day, we were standing at the same spot, listening to the ocean waves. We aged ten more years, and he remained around five years apart from me... Could it possibly be that coincidental?

'So, you're telling me, you're the boy?' I questioned in disbelief.

'Of course, I am. We both have the same name! Can't you remember his name?'

'To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention to my dad's VIP names, but then, I was too scared to ask.'

'Ha ha ha, I couldn't remember your name either until I dig into your background.'

'That's cheating!'

'Well, in my defense, I didn't know she was you until I saw your old pictures.'

'Was that even a defense?'

'Questionable,' we said in chorus and had a good laugh of our past.

'Wait, how can I be sure that you didn't just make it up?' I interrogated, remaining skeptical.

'You can ask me any question, and I'll be able to answer it,' he informed confidently.

'How did you get the money?'

'I stole them. I guess, I shouldn't have done that back then, but a dollar each wouldn't hurt anyone.'

'How many dollars?'

'Five dollars, five victims, but no one noticed. I gave you all my change, and you gave me back the excess.'

'That's what I remembered, too. So, two more questions, what did I buy with the money?'

'A foot-long sandwich.'

'Lastly, what was the sandwich?'

'Bland ham and cheese with no spice, or pepper. It tasted so bland, but I didn't want to say it to hurt your feelings back then. So, I said, I like it.'

'So, you're telling me, now... Great!'

'What? You can't blame me for feeling guilty for starving you. You said it yourself that you're a child. I was just trying to be nice!'

'You're ruining my image of your past-self.'

'Said someone who can't even taste. No offense.'

'None taken, and there wasn't that much of an image for you to ruin anyway. You were such a teenager... Thanks God, I'm still alive after that car ride!'

'Why are you thanking God? Thanks me!'

'... Thank you. I really appreciate you for taking me home alive,' I said gratefully and whole-heartedly because if he did not drive me back, I would have been left on the street somewhere.

He looked at me confused with what I said, 'You were supposed to say, "Thank you?", so we can keep arguing. If you thanked me like that, what am I supposed to do?'

'Nothing, just take the gratitude. I don't want to argue with you, I love you.'

'You are telling me that you're just that adorable, aren't you?'

I smiled without responding.

'You, Little Devil... I love you, too, but until now, I still don't know where did you get the courage to kiss me first.'

'You weren't this tall back then, ' I simply answered.

He smirked, knowing that was not the real answer, 'Even though I wasn't this tall, you were still almost a foot shorter than me. I was fourteen, and you were eleven. How could you dare?'

'Easy, I didn't mean to. It was supposed to land to your cheek, but you turned on me. You betrayed me and tainted my innocent soul,' I made it unnecessarily dramatic, before I continued with my usual tone, 'Also, don't ask me where I got the courage because I don't know. My best guess is, it was probably hormones stuff that saw you as a suitable mate, but I didn't regret it.'

'Neither did I, and you better still see me as a suitable mate,' he quipped.

'You are already, Jason,' I confirmed.

'You're right, we did fuck, didn't we?' he acted like he just realized.

"Yeah, and you knocked me up!" was what I wanted to say, but what I said was, 'Not funny,' with a death stare.

'Ahem, sorry... Let's get back on track, before the restaurant throw away my wine,' he pointed out, changing the topic.

'Didn't you already tell them, you'll come and pick it up later?'

'I did, but who knows?' he shrugged his shoulders.

I chuckled, but then, my breath was taken.

He got down on one knee and opened the blue box in front of me. I knew, this was going to happen, but that did not stop me from tearing up. He pronounced, 'Will you marry me?'

My voice was clogged for several seconds, but once I got it back, I exclaimed, 'I will!' I stood on my knees to hug him, acknowledging that he would marry me without any forceful conditions, for he did not know, I was pregnant.

He broke off the hug and held my left hand in his palm, as he place the ring on my ring finger. He kissed my hand and inquired, 'Is it okay to marry you, now?'

I stared at him surprised, 'What do you mean?'

'There's a church around here, isn't there?'

'You're insane!'

'I know, that's why I'm making it official before you change your mind! Well, I can't really make it legal, but this is better than nothing. Quick, the ceremony is starting in six minutes.'

'What?! You booked the church?!'

'I did an hour ago.'

'How did you know my answer? What about the guest? My parents? My relatives?'

'Your answer wasn't hard to guess. The clerks will be our witness for today, and I promise you another wedding later. Let's run.'

He drew me down the stairs where I asked to take my boots off, and we continued running to the church. I was unconvinced, and the church's door was closed. However, that did not stop him from knocking it. Fortunately, a young Brother opened the door, and he welcomed us in. There was some setup going on, not much, but the church already appeared amazing. In the course of ten minutes, our witnesses, the clergy-men and -women, were seated, and the Father was ready to read our vows.

'This is crazy,' I whispered, just before the everything began, and we were both standing in front of the Father and the cross.

'Totally,' he agreed.

The ceremony started with the opening prayer, and soon, the pledge was made.

'Jason Peter Todd,' the rite of marriage began, 'do you take Andrea Mackenzie Albertsons to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, and to honor her all the days of your life?'

'I do,' he affirmed loud and clear.

The Father continued, 'Andrea Mackenzie Albertsons, do you take Jason Peter Todd to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, and to honor him all the days of your life?'

'I do,' my voice became a little shaken, but it was as loud and clear.

'May I have the rings?' Father uttered.

Oh, my God! The rings!

We looked at each other, completely forgotten about the crucial element. We swiftly searched ourselves for something, and I got the ring of my key chain. It was not good one, but it was metallic. Surely, we had to buy the formal ones later, too. I looked over to him. He was deconstructing some type of metallic cylinder tube with closed round ends and a mouth piece.

'What's that?' I curiously puzzled, lowing my voice.

'It's an oxygen adaptor to use in water, and... there's the ring!' he murmured, taking the ring apart.

'Ahem,' Father interrupted the uproar we made.

He placed the round metal after the promise ring, as I recited, 'I, Andrea Mackenzie Albertsons, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.'

'I, Jason Peter Todd, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,' he nailed it, as I placed the ring on his forth finger.

'May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder,' he priest blessed, holding our hands together, and pronounced, 'Throughout this ceremony, Jason Peter Todd and Andrea Mackenzie Albertsons have vowed, in our presence, to be loyal and loving towards each other. They have formalized the existence of the bond between them with words spoken and with the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, it is my pleasure to now pronounce them husband and wife.' He made a closing remark and declared, 'You may kiss the bride.'

Jason pecked on my lips, and the promise was sealed. I rushed into his arms all happy and whispered into his ear, 'I have something to tell you, I'm...'

The sound of a calling notification from his phone interrupted me.

'What was it?' he buzzed, and his phone began receiving notifications non-stop. 'I'm sorry. I'll have to check this out.' His eyes turned from bright to gloomy, so I predicted, he had to go. 'So, what was it again?'

'It's nothing, I'm just pregnant. Don't worry about me, if they really need you,' I stated casually.

'Okay, I'll see you later. Thank you, Father and all the clerks for our wedding,' he replied like he did not really get my message. He dashed out the door, and I was disappointed.

The door was closed, and the priests and nuns were looking at me.

'Didn't you say, you're pregnant?' the Brother finally quested, representing the whole church.

'I certainly did, but he probably haven't process that. Anyway, thank you every individuals here for attending our sudden marriage. I am very thankful from the deepest bottom of my heart. Thank you.'

Within seconds, the door was wide opened again.

'You're fucking pregnant?!' I heard a breathless shout across the hall.

'Please be more careful of your choice of word, Mr. Todd,' Father warned.

I nodded agree with the Father and answered, 'I am pregnant.'

He ran toward me and tripped on his foot half-way. He got himself back up fine for a couple more steps before he wobbled to the ground again.

I made my way to help him, as he attempted to rise again but it did not work, so I caught him. 'Woah, calm down. Are you okay?' I gave him my concern, seating him on the bench.

He laughed to himself and made a call, without responding to my question, 'Hey, I'm not gonna be there. Get someone else.' He turned the phone off and talked to me, 'No, I'm not okay! I can't even walk!'

'Are you mad?' I puzzled quietly.

'What do you mean mad?! We're having a baby! I'm not mad. I'm shocked... I'm terrified... I don't understand how it happened, but I'm... Godammit,' he started cracking up, '...I'm happy.'

I hugged him close, telling him, 'Come on, don't cry... I'm going to cry, too, if you don't.'

'I don't care, cry with me, or let me drown in my own tears. I don't even care...'

I teared up again, and I could sense, the witnesses in the hall congratulating us. We had a moment of silence, before he got himself back together.

'I love you,' he chimed, cupping my cheek.

I touched him hand and echoed, 'I love you, too.'

He kissed me and carried me like a bride, receiving applauses from everyone as we bid them good-bye. I could not believe, I could feel like a Disney's Princess, skipping in the sand with my beloved Prince. He held my waist and spun me around in the air...

How long would this sweet scene last? Or, was this my happily ever after? Could I say, this was the end?

Of course, I could say...

"The End."

* * *

But...

Wait for it... Wait for it...

 **BOOM!**

I bet, it was not the end yet. A bazooka exploded right in our eyes, but we were far enough not to get any impact.

He put me down with an excuse, 'That wasn't me.'

'I know.'

I squinted my eyes at the shadow in the flame. The rectangular shape was getting bigger, and a black Jeep appeared.

'Oh, my God! There's a civilian! There're civilians!' the driver shouted from her seat, as she stomped on the brake.

The car and I were inches apart when it stopped. I made eye contact with the driver, and we recognized each other.

'Andrea/ Rebecca?!' we called in union.

'Get in! Now!' the tanned Aussie with her perfect long curly hair commanded in her khaki uniform.

We climbed up the vehicle, and she started driving toward the church.

'You don't what to go that way, you'll risk dozens of lives with whatever that's following you!' I yelled against the wind.

'No can do. We just drove away from the traffic on the road, and the new HQ is already around the corner.' She presses on the walkie-talkie and said, 'Brother, divide the ocean. Code: Exodus 14 verse 21.'

'Yes, ma'am,' the other end replied with a familiar voice, and the waves next to the church began receding.

I looked over my shoulder, and the smoke from the latest attack was vanishing. The gang that was following them started shooting again.

'Lower your head, now!' Jason directed loudly from the back seat.

All of us ducked to the explosion, as Rebecca drifted the car under the water before it merged back together.

'They also have chemical bombs?!' Rebecca queried in the glass tunnel that was not visible from outside in.

'No, they don't. That was me,' Jason claimed, 'And, is there a way to make this guy stop pointing the gun at my head?'

I turned around and saw a tall lean porcelain-colored man with short military greyed-blond hair and a visible scar on his neck. 'John!' I exclaimed happily, seeing him and gave him a hug over the seats.

He hugged me back with an arm and mouthed me something.

'We were in a dangerous place?' I restated, trying to read his lips.

He planted his face in his hand, and at the corner of my eye, I could see, Jason rolling his eyes to the side.

John tried again slower than before.

'This man has such a courage?'

Jason started holding his laughter.

"Come on, Andrea, you can do better!" I told myself. 'I'm sorry, John. Can you repeat one more time?'

'Hold on! That's it! One more time, and I'll die laughing!' he enjoyed himself.

'Go to hell, Jason,' my cool disappeared.

'Gladly, and I hope this time they got the temperature right. It was freezing cold last time. By the way, he said, "This man is dangerous." And, I can't agree more than I am.'

'I agree, but he's my husband. He won't be a threat.'

Suddenly, Rebecca made the brake squeaked again with many questions, 'He's your husband?! Since when? Why didn't you invite me to your wedding? Did he force you to it? Or did he do something worse?! One word, Andrea, and I'll make him slowly bleed to death.'

'Ou, edgy,' Jason punned at the knife she was holding.

'Jason, that's not helping,' I came in between them.

'I beg of you, I'm just an ordinary guy with Nitric Acid and soap,' he tried.

'What the hell? At least, make something that's more believable.'

'It must be worse than what I thought! Don't stop me, Andy. I'm going to break every single bone this guy have and break them again every time he recovered until the day I die,' she assumed on her own.

'Hello! - Woah...,' a hologram image of a bulked man with chestnut skin and straight black hair in short faded cut appeared. 'Am I here, at the wrong time? Should I come back later?' He comprehended the scene of John and Rebecca having their weapons out at Jason and me in between them.

'No, Mike, you're here right on time. Please change the topic before the floor turns red,' I beseeched.

'Sure... I found out who was going after the Destructor's remote. Is that interesting enough? And, can you guys drive in already? It's annoying watching you in the middle of the tunnel, blocking my ocean view.'

'Fine,' Rebecca pouted and continued driving.

'John, let's switch seats,' I said, and we switched.

'Oh, my God. You were right, I should have had the marriage later,' Jason muttered.

'When am I not right?' I spoke softly.

'Yeah... well... Are they your Godparents?'

'Yes, indeed, they are, and that doesn't count my real parents that you have to talk to.'

'No wonder, they'll kill me for you.'

'Well, you're not dead yet, so it's fine.'

'Yet... Yeah, and that guy must really hate me. It might sound like an excuse, but his presentation is really turning my good-guy mode off,' he whispered.

'Why?' I questioned.

'I don't know. I remember, he looked at me funky when we first met, and then, even worse when I took you out ten years ago. I came to work with G.U.S.T. once as Red Hood, and that guy still give me that look. But, he doesn't know who I was. And there's today, he got a gun on my head. So, I think, he really hates me, or my guts, or maybe both... I would go with the third one.'

'He got trusting-issues. It looks like he's being negative with you, but if you respond him positively, he will be positive with you.'

'Well, shit then, I already gave him bad impression.'

'No, not really, just give him better impression next time.'

We arrived at a large open glass dome under the ocean. We could see the marine animals swimming around and the shinning sun that did not really help much under water. The first impression, it gave me was unbelievable. Later, I wondered, how could they possibly have enough electricity to run all the lights and computers in the hall and was there any internet down here.

'Do you have the remote?' Mike buzzed.

Rebecca gave him a silver carry-on suitcase, 'It's in there, and the old headquarter is gone.'

'No shit?'

'No shit. I set it on self-destruction before we came out,' she shrugged her shoulder, as she landed on a comfy rolling chair.

'That's the third one this week. Now, we're back on zero days of house destruction after one day of peace,' he stated, putting the case on the table. 'We have done better last year,' he sighed.

'So what are you going to do with it?'

'Probably deliver it to the Justice League.'

'But, we made it,' Rebecca against.

'But, we cannot take care of it.'

'Why not?'

Mike gave out his "hundred-percent done" expression and continued, 'Because... we're dealing with something too big of our size.'

'What is it, then?'

'You want to ask me, who, it's a one man thing, but let's not talk about it. There're guests here.' Mike shifted his attention to me and Jason who were purposely out of the circle of conversation. 'Hey, Andy! How are you doing?'

'I'm doing pretty good,' I answered.

He nodded and moved on. 'I'm Mike,' he put his hand forward to Jason.

'I'm Jason,' he replied with a hand shake.

'Nice to meet you, and nice to see you again! How long has it been? Three years?'

'Almost two.'

'Two years is just as freaking long! Give me a hug.' We hugged, and he lifted me off the floor. 'You are so light. Are you eating at all?'

His grandma-tone was showing, but I was used to it, 'I am eating.'

'Good. Alright, I'll take you to the guest room.'

'Sure. There's a guest room here?' I quested.

'No, not really. We don't have guest here much, but we surely can make one up,' he smiled. 'So, why are you here?' he asked, as he lead the way.

'Well, we weren't supposed to be here, but we got caught in the middle of the fight. So, Rebecca brought us with her,' I explained.

'Then, it probably won't be safe for you to take the front door. I'll get a ship ready for you in an hour, or two. For now, this will be your room.' He used a card to activate the automatic door, and a full suite appeared with a fantastic coral view.

'Okay, thank you,' I said, staying at the place where they told me to like always.

'Enjoy your stay, and I'll get you when it's ready,' he concluded and left.

We stayed in the room, and I noted, 'Mike seems pretty welcoming with you, compared to my Godparents anyway.'

'Ha, I'm more than 90% sure, he is as welcoming as your Godparents. He just got a different approach. I can bet you a grand, he's looking through my finger prints on his transparent gloves, right now,' Jason elaborated and walked around the room.

I sat down on the bed and blankly stared at the fish for a while, before I noticed that he was abnormally quite for the last ten minutes. 'Jason?'

'Hmm?' he hummed, standing against the door.

I saw an ear bud, so I figured, 'You're eavesdropping them, aren't you?'

He did not really care and sat down on the bed next to me, 'Congratulation, you've won a million dollar! C'mon, what else do you think, I'm doing?'

'So, who's behind all the bombing today?' my curiosity won over me.

'It's my old friend, Deathstroke,' he ended.


	32. Chapter 32

Ah, fuck! Not again!

I was blindfolded. My legs were tied together, and my hands were tied on the handle of a chair... Ou, a comfy leather chair! At last, they stepped up the kidnapping game.

I tried listening to any sign of people for a good time to raise my head. I believed no one was paying attention, so I did. Apparently, I was wrong.

'You're awake,' a heavy-hoarse-villainy voice was heard.

'May I go back to sleep? Or, actually, five more minutes. I don't want to and I can't deal with this yet.'

* * *

In summary not so many hours ago, Mike got us a ride, and we returned above sea level. The Brother from the church was waiting for us by the shore, non-verbally confirming me that he was an undercover who guard the gate. He assured me that the church was real, and he was the only undercover with a nun.

Deathstoke was gone to plan his next move and nowhere to be seen on the beach, so the Brother parted us when he was sure nothing was a threat. We walked from the dock to get the car, and Jason was still around unexpectedly.

'You're not going after Deathstroke? Or, a meeting of some kind?' I wondered.

He held my hand as we left more footsteps on the sand and shortly answered with not much thought, 'No.'

'Okay... So, how's Lian?' I moved on to another random subject, trying to respect his thorough decision.

'She went home with Roy after we finished our business at the Middle East... Didn't you ask me this before?'

'Hmm... I can't recall. I don't think so.'

'Well...,' he did not finish his sentence when some type of bombing happened at the spot where the headquarter might be. We were not sure because we could not see it.

I was not in shock, nor assumed that my close family-friends were in danger, since I was positive that they got defense shield around the glass. 'Do you want to go check it out?' I mentioned, preparing myself to see him disappeared before I look.

Surprisingly, he remained next to me. 'No,' he confirmed himself.

'You sound forced.'

'I don't,' he disagreed, 'Even if I go, there's nothing in it for me.'

'Oh, really?' I stepped up the stairs, 'Then, what was in it for you when you brought the dead owls to the apartment?'

'My...'

'My?' I waited, but he discontinued it. I asserted, 'Your home, your family, is it not? And look, the sun set. Guess who is coming.'

Batwing flew pass our head and descended under the ocean. They probably arrived to pick up the key, they talked about. There was also some ship battling as they landed, but all seemed good.

'I'm going to pick up the wine,' he changed the topic and came back drinking the alcohol off the bottle. He stood at the passenger side, and I was driving.

'Jason,' I called.

He was pissed off and asked grimly, 'Why do you want me to help them so badly?! You should know all your heart that I work for money!'

I did not like what he said since we all know it was not entirely true, but I also did not call him to convince him to go. 'I just want the car's key...'

'Oh... I didn't mean to...'

'No, I'm not done yet. True, you work for money, but that doesn't mean every work. You choose who you're working with, and more often than not, it's for the good. You asked me why I want to send you off so badly. Well, my answer is all your attention is already on them, and I feel ridiculous for holding you back. I know, you're curious about the Destructor, and I am your source, just you ask,' I cut in with a very long spoken portion, making my way to him.

'You are my source? You know about the weapon?' he quested in disbelief.

'I suppose, you want the short overall about how this thing work. So, setting aside the name, it is actually a creator. It creates one of the fastest, strongest, and the most sensitive waves mankind ever made that can reach 50 kilometers radius above and under ground. It's G.U.S.T.'s prototype made to detect natural disaster, but as you know, 50 kilometers could only cover one city... Anyway, that's likely not the cool thing Deathstroke is after. I'm not completely sure, but I heard rumors that if it was set to laser mode, it could send enough vibration to the Earth's core to trigger every disaster on Earth at once.'

'Like volcanic eruption, earthquake, and tsunami?'

'Yup. Just add "S" to what you said and imagine it happened across the globe... Who the hell wants that?'

'Someone who wants to renew the Earth from scratch... Damn it, I shouldn't have left him alive!'

'Are we still talking about Deathstroke?'

'No, not him. I meant the buyer.'

'So... I'll see you soon?'

'Soon? I'm not going anywhere,' he stubborned.

'Why not?'

'I don't want to leave you on your own,' he said, avoiding any eye contact, and a hand behind his neck.

Cute. I smiled, placing his hand on my lower stomach, 'I'm not on my own.'

'That's my point.'

'I'll be fine. We'll be fine. If you want to go, go. I'm here to support you, not hold you back,' I reassured him.

'Seriously?'

'Seriously, go.'

'Aren't you like... afraid I won't come back?' he arched an eyebrow.

'Well, no. Not really. I have faith that you'll come back. I might lose you one way or another, so I might as well chose the one with least possibility of losing you and the world we're standing on. In a way, it's like if you die, I'll die in the next few hours or so,' I frowned and nodded to myself. 'I... really don't like that idea.'

He paused, thinking it through, and half-kissed me, promising that he would be back to finish it. He handed me the key and bid, 'I'll see you at home.'

'I'll wait until you come back.'

He took his suit from the trunk and watched me leave. When I could no longer saw him from the mirror, I could not stop thinking about how much I hated my own decision to let him go. I pulled over, giving myself a moment of silent.

I started the car again, heading home. As I drove quietly for a little while, I noticed a truck following me abnormally close, so I decelerated, letting them go front.

They sped up, but then, they suddenly brake in front of me. I stopped behind them. It looked like they just wanted to pick a fight, so I drove away. However the fighter was no ordinary person, he was the person who was supposed to be somewhere else hunting the key.

I swiftly pulled back and stepped on the gas to an intersection. I thought, I lost him for a second, but he was still at my tail. The problem was, I could not understand why he was after me.

I stomped harder on the gas just before I heard a thump on the roof and a sword through it. I looked behind at the abandoned-automatic truck that was far behind, but the next moment, both of my front tires were punctured because of the uninvited passenger. The car dragged itself on the road until it stopped safely, kind of.

I paused to breath, and Deathstroke was at the front of my door, leaving me no way of escaping. I attempted to sneak my phone with me, but my only pocket was too small. Well, he would search me later anyway.

I raised both of my hands, pleading, 'Listen, I'll cooperate with you. I won't resist, so don't hurt me.'

He yanked the door open and pulled me out. I did not know what he wanted from me or how much he knew about me, so I played it safe for myself and the child. He put a cloth over my head and seated me in the truck before knocking me out with chloroform. Then, I woke up blindfolded on the leather chair asking for five minutes to runaway from my problems.

'No,' was his answer. 'It's time to call your daddy.'

'Uhh... you might have gotten the wrong person. My dad is an average income office worker. He won't have the money for your ransom,' I told him what I supposed to know.

'Wow, I can't believe he could keep his secret identity as the Colonel of a special military service from his family.'

'The Colonel of a special military service?' I uttered in a surprise manner. 'For God's sake, he couldn't even make a good pancake,' I took the chance to say the unnecessary truth to bias the information since he probably got the correct person here.

He cared not much of what I said, scoffing it off, so he sounded not to be a good pancake maker himself to me. 'So now, we'll see if his daughter's life worth the key,' he finished and locked up the cage.

I could not see, but I could clearly hear him dialing my dad. My dad did not pick up...

Why was I not surprised?

He redialed the number two more times, as I was busy thinning the rope on my wrist. Slowly but surely, the rope was about to break apart, and my dad answered the call.

'Hello?'

'Hello, Colonel. I believed, you know my name and what I want in exchange of your daughter by now.'

'Uhh... Who are you again? And, what's my daughter doing with you?' he quested seriously, and the villain was caught dumbfounded for several second. 'Oh, hang on a sec, I got another call.'

The ringtone continued.

'Is he serious?' the villain doubted.

'Well, if that's my dad, he is probably serious. The voice is familiar, so I'm pretty sure he is serious,' I spoke.

The call returned, 'Okay, I just got your note... You want me to exchange the Destructor's key with my daughter, right? I'll do it, but let me talk to her for a minute.'

'Hi, Dad,' I said when he lend me the phone.

'Hello, Sunshine! How are you, right now?'

'I'm still okay.'

'What time is it there?' he asked how many people was at the site, including me.

'I'm blindfolded, but I think, it's two.'

'Do you think, you'll do okay?' he meant, if I could come back home on my own.

'No, not really.'

'That's fine, we'll work it out... Send me the location, and I'll get the key ready,' he ended, meaning what he said.

I stayed in the cell silently, waiting for help. I trusted that my dad would not just give him the key without any plan... He better had a plan.

About an hour later, a helicopter arrived, and a loud thump was heard on the roof. Only one? Later, there was a long laser sound, and something heavy landed in front of me.

'Red Hood,' the villain scorned, clicking his gun ready. 'I'll give you double what they hired you for today. Just give me the case.'

'Sorry, Cyclops, I wasn't hired. I volunteered,' he opened the case and continued, 'If you want it, come get it yourself.'

I listened to the footsteps coming toward me, and some type of gas was detonated. I could not really see the details, but certainly, it was Red Hood who put a mask over my nose and mouth, as Deathstroke coughed from inhaling the gas.

Red Hood took off my blindfold and rope, concerning, 'Are you okay?'

I nodded. He grabbed me, leaving the way he came in, but the grapple gun was shot out of his hand.

'It's not going to be that easy,' the villian said, as we ducked to hide in the smoke not so far from him.

'So, what's the next plan?' I puzzled.

'What plan?'

'You got to be kidding me!'

'Yes, I am kidding you. Just follow me.'

He activated his glove and spread a section of the cell apart. We left the room with the key, and for the first time, I could see that we were on the top floor of a rundown estate in the middle of thick layers of trees and a body of water by one side.

We hid in one of the empty rooms two floors below where I interviewed, 'How did you know I'm here?'

'I have a tracker in the car. You weren't home yet, so I thought, there was something fishy. I found a note from Deathstroke in the car that he would contact your dad, so I waited for that call and look for you.'

'That means my dad doesn't know you're here?'

'No, and I stole the key.'

'You stole the key?! Do you know, what type of fucking disaster is going to happen, if he had the key?'

'I know. He will never get it, but if he does, I've already prepared another plan for it.'

'Good, and how are we getting out again?'

'First of all, we gotta get both of your hands full,' he gave me his guns, and they were not even full.

'No refill?'

'How ironic, guess who threw eight of mine away.'

'Excuse me,' I gave him another chance.

'Well, I already got them replaced,' he moved on the correct way and lend me one. 'Next, we'll climb up the building to the helicopter and leave.'

'Sound easy enough.'

'We'll hope it will be that easy,' he murmured, throwing a grapnel up the roof. He put a belt around me and snapped the hook on it. 'After you.'

I held on to the rope and started climbing. He followed me up with no safety tool for the five stories building and the steep hill below us.

'Be careful with that one. It's lose,' I warned.

He was careful, but it broke off when he grabbed it. My heart almost stopped beating when he was on one hand.

'Just keep climbing. I'm fine,' he assured, seeing the terror in my face. He slowly got back on the edge of a window and returned making his way upward. 'Oh, fuck!'

I saw his eyes caught someone on the inside and quickly moved himself to the side just before the bullets burst and the glass shattered.

'Take this,' he commanded, handing the bag with the key from his back to me.

I put it across my shoulder and glanced at him again when I heard another glass broke.

'Don't look back. Just go!' he shouted.

I listened and got to the roof, but I did not follow it very well when I looked back.

All of sudden, Deathstroke grabbed his leg from the window and pulled him into the building.

'Oh, no,' I said under my breath, making my way down and leaving the key at the roof.

I landed on the sill of window with my firearms ready in hand. They were not in the room anymore, but I could still hear them in the hall way. I looked for them, and I easily spotted them because they were too loud not found.

Both of them took turn going against the wall and the floor, so the target was moving all the time. I hid behind the scraps of the building and waited for a second when Deathstroke hesitated to slice the knife through his opponent's throat. I fired a bullet though his wrist. I blew my cover, but that did not really matter.

Red Hood heisted the knife and stabbed its owner's left collarbone. He left the combat zone and grabbed my hand running up the stairs. We climbed the ladder at attic and successfully reached the roof with a rectangular walking space and a helicopter parked in the center.

'Get it ready, I'll go get the key,' I told him, sliding down the scale on the side of the walking space. I hurried when the blades started spinning, but the explosion blew me away. 'Jason... Jason!'

I ran toward the flaming chopper. No, no, no, no! He was in there...

'Jason!' I cried once more, and my legs went weak when no one replied. I hoped to see him around when I glided my eyes around the view, but I saw a man to blame instead.

Deathstroke came out of the trap door from the attic with a ring of a hand grenades around his pointer. I raced to him with outrage and determination to end him.

'You! You killed him!' I screamed, throwing a fake strike to his right. As he blended down to my left, I stepped on his healed left shoulder and landed all of my strength on the center of his head with my elbow. He went down to one knee, but not for long, he stood up again.

'With such anger, what is he actually to you?'

'You'll never know,' I growled, pointing a gun between his eyes a meter away.

He caught me off guard just before I pulled the trigger with a kick on the firearm. He grabbed my shoulder about to strike a knee to my stomach, so I tried my best to hold it off with my hand. I already lost him because of this man, and I could not bare to lose anymore.

He soon realized my act of protecting it and paused, concluding to himself, 'You're pregnant... with his child?'

I did not answer because of the overwhelming feelings. He had so much to blame, and it upset me as much to know I could not beat him.

'Forgive me,' he said and turned his back to me, ending the fight, but he had no clue that what he said hurt me worse.

I gently put myself on the floor with tears running down my face, questioning how dare he asked me for forgiveness so easily. I lowly replied, 'No.'

He slightly turned his head to me a nodded before he vanished, while I slowly withered. After that, everything was a blur of my father's crew taking me home and putting the fire out.

* * *

Not so long after the incident, my parents learnt about my relationship and what we were expecting, and they insisted for me to stay with them. His corpse was never found, so my dad lent me the case file. He told me that I might solve something, but he also told me to wait until I was ready. Meanwhile, he assigned me to a therapist and several group therapy, so I would not go out of my mind.

About a week and bit later when I was ready, I returned to the same old apartment to pack up my things. I threw the paper file of the case on the dusty table and sat down, staring at the ultrasound of not one but two babies. I wished, he could be by the side of my bed on that day; however, things had not gone as planned.

I took one deep breath and opened the long closed file.

"Incident: Andrea Albertsons was taken hostage in exchange of the Destructor's key.

Detail of Event: Deathstroke took Andrea Albertsons, the daughter of the Colonel, as hostage for the Destructor's key. While the vigilante, Red Hood, was attempting to assist the government at the mission of retrieving the hostage, the vehicle he took with him, a helicopter, exploded. We assumed he was in there when the timed bomb detonated at the front window shield.

Actions Taken: We arrived and put down the fire. The hostage and the key are safe, but Deathstroke escaped. The verification unit found a rope and a flattened balloon on opposite sides. The tools were believed to be used by the hostage and the vigilante to breakout and rescue. Some blood was found on the rock near the flattened balloon, but no corpse was found in five-hundred meters radius.

Summary: Deathstoke failed to take the Destructor's key. Hostage is safe. Deathstoke and Red Hood was not found."

A timed bomb... a flattened balloon... I thought, it was a hand grenades and nothing else.

Could it be possible that what Deathstroke had on his finger was not the left over of a grenades, but a remote control?

Could it be that he started it when we ran away, so we could not leave the place?

Could it be that Jason saw it and moved away, but because of the impact, he fell off the building?

Could it be that the flattened balloon was there for the reason?

Could it be that he was still alive and only injured?

Could it be that... I was just being delusional?

I got no idea... I turned the file close and shut my eyes.

Nothing was going to change. He had been gone for more than a week, there was no way he could be out there. I moved on and began cleaning up and packing up my stuff in boxes until someone rang the doorbell.

I accepted it, looking through the camera, 'Hello?'

A puffy man with long full beard in a large dark coat and a fisherman's hat responded, 'Ello? Did I just 'ear somethin'? No one answered yestaday.'

I noted that he was also here yesterday and processed, 'Hi, there! You did. So, what can I help you?'

'Oh! Yeah... I caught this lad on ma way home last week. He said, he knew this place. I dunno, maybe ya know him,' he explained and pulled the person next to him to the camera.

'Hello?' the lad, the puffy man mentioned, spoke.

'He can't be...' His voice... his face...

'Oh, this thing actually works! I thought, it was just a deco,' he mumbled to himself on the other end.

I stopped everything, took my keys, and dashed to the elevator. It was too slow. I ran down the stairs to the lobby desperately to see the actual person. However, I stopped reacting when I was a step away from him, gazing into his eyes, and I had to force myself to stand there.

'Hey,' he waved at me and quested with his loving smile, 'How are you?'

I was going to cry from happiness, but something else made me fled to the street. 'I'm sorry,' I covered my nose, pushing them away. They followed, and I must say, 'Don't come near me.' I leaned against a lamp post, breathing a couple of not-so-fresh air presented by Gotham, and got myself together. 'Oh, my God! You smell awful!' I turned to the fisherman and continued, 'No hard feelings alright, mate? I know, saying I'm pregnant doesn't give me a free out of jail ticket, so please forgive me.'

'No, no, it's cool! Yer gotcha baby there, I wouldn't want to give yer more problem,' the puffy man stepped back and asked, 'Is 'ere good?'

I gave him a thumb up, saying, 'Thank you...' I brought back my attention to the lad with so many things to say to him, but what came out was only, 'You're alive! What took you so long?' I bit my lips, holding myself from getting near him, because I knew vomiting was not a choice there.

'Uh... Yeah, I'm alive. It took me a while to nip my soul back from Death,' he laughed, and I patiently wait for him to continue seriously. The mood gradually turned depressing, and he replied, 'I... I actually got my head hit on a rock and got severe headache for a couple days. It got a little better today, so I asked him to take me here.'

My eyes widen giving him all my concerns, 'Are you sure, you're okay? Should we go to the hospital?'

'I'm sure, I'm going to be okay. You're already right in front of me, and I was just exaggerating most of it. Can't you remember, I promised you, I won't die in duty. Ya know, it's repetitive.'

Suddenly, I got hiccups and tears. He made me confuse whether to be mad at him for making jokes, or glad that he was back, sweet and hilarious. I did not know how to act.

While I was figuring myself, he talked to the fisherman, and the man left. I was not sure what I was doing at that point about Jason, so I did like what I was pre-programmed to do for a guest. I invited him into the apartment, gave him a glass of water, and sat on the couch opposite of him without saying anything. By the time I realized myself, he was no longer on the couch, I was staring.

I heard a door close, so I turned to the sound.

He just walked out of the shower and commented, 'Oh, you're back on Earth! You've been error for like... two hours?'

I walked up to him, making three actions and three explanations. I slapped his hand, 'This is for all the tears I sed because of your absent.' I hugged him, 'This is a small part of how much I miss you.' I kissed him, 'This is just the tip of an iceberg of how much I love you.'

I was so happy, being in his arms again. I was glad, seeing his smile when our foreheads were together. I was full of joy for once in a long while.

All of sudden, he quested, 'Did you just slap my hand?'

'I think so... Is there a problem?'

'Nothing, I just felt like I was a kid...'

'Say no more,' I cut in and slapped his ass.

'That was not what I meant!'

I narrowed my eyes with a goofy smile, 'Oh, really?'

I began untangling my arms from him, but he pulled me back into the hug. 'I miss you so much,' he sighed.

'You missed so much, too,' I told him.

'What did I miss?'

'Well, not that much actually, you missed our first ultrasound, our first time hearing the heartbeats, our first time seeing them, our first time having their photo taken, and our first time knowing there's two.'

'Not that much, you said, and what do you mean two?'

'We're having twins! Identical twins!' I jumped and accidentally bumped on his nose. 'Oh, my God! I'm so sorry! I was so excited to tell you this!'

'Ha ha ha... This is going to be fun... Fun? Fun. Fun! Yes, it's going to be fun!' he progressively became less sarcastic as he continued. I was not sure what was going on in his brain, but it looked positive enough not to be a planned murder... Or was it?

'It's going to be fun,' I confirmed.

'So, are they boys or girls?'

'Don't know yet. We'll have to go to the next appointment to check them out. Do you want to see their pictures?!'

'Show me.'

I gave him the pictures and could not stop fuzzing, 'Ohmigod, look at how little they are! So smol... I can't believe, they're inside of me! What should we name them?'

'Baby One and Baby Two.'

I knew, it was a joke, but God, I was so offended! I moved away and stared at him in despise. 'That's it, I'm done! I'm going to bed, and don't you dare come in.'

I slammed the door shut, and he knocked the door after me.

'Erm, Love, I'm sorry. This is not what I intend,' he apologized. I did not say anything, laying on my bed, and he continued on, 'Anyway, good night. I love you.'

He stopped knocking, and a strange emotion crept on my back. It was not guilt, it was worse... It was fear. Some part of me was just so afraid that he would suddenly disappear again.

I ran to the door, but I could not push it open, something was blocking the way. I took a step back and pushed it again. It opened, and I cried, 'Wait,' before I realized that I was going to fall from pushing too hard.

He caught me and commented, chuckling, 'You really can't open the door when I'm in the way, can't you?'

I hugged him in relief, ignoring what he said, and added, 'I love you more.'

'Don't pick a fight with me. We both know, I love you more than you do.'

Out of nowhere, my stomach grumbled, so I settled it with a riddle, 'Eight letters, three words. If you get it right, I'll accept what you say. In one condition, you really need to have what you said.'

He smirked and stated, 'I got food.'

'Oh, my God! You are the best!'

And, yes, as simple as that, I had not need a scene where I kissed my Prince in a chariot, a glass coffin, or in my sleep. Just sitting across each other and sharing our day with laughters everyday was already a satisfying life for me.

The End.


	33. Chapter 33 (August 16 Special)

'Sleeping Beauty is going to be awake in two minutes. Be prepared,' I called over the Batman walkie-talkie.

'Roger that. The explosions are ready,' Rye, my first son, replied.

'The atomic bomb is massive!' my second son, Bourbon, exclaimed.

'Massive? This is the first time I heard you say it. I'm proud that you're expanding your vocabulary,' I commented.

'Thank you,' he responded shyly.

'You're welcome,' I said and set the table in front the bedroom door. 'Okay, the table is set. I'll go get the atomic bomb, so come up here with the explosions. And, no scoping out the icings while I'm on my way, okay?'

'Okay, Mom,' Rye answered me, while I waited longer for the other one.

'Fine,' Bourbon pouted.

'Great! Don't forget, be sneaky and quite once you're up there,' I spoke softer as I continued.

'Okay,' they whispered back at the same time.

I dashed downstairs of our new house and gently took the cake out of the box, before I ran upstairs with it. The two boys at the age of three waited quietly and moved out of my way, staring attentively as I lighted up the candles. Rye gave me a popping cone, and we were ready for the Sleeping Beauty to wake up.

I heard the footsteps coming forward after his alarm went off and guided with pretending actions, 'Pull the string very hard at one like this, alright?'

They nodded understandably.

'Good. Three,' I counted down when the step was exactly behind the door. 'Two,' the knob of the door turned. 'One!' the door was opened wide with him in surprise of the sound, the decorations, the cake, and everything else.

'Happy Birthday, Jason!' we chorused.


End file.
